An effective compression algorithm for pulsed thermography data

A data compression algorithm for the image sequences generated by pulsed-transient thermography for non-destructive testing was developed. The aim was to obtain a good compromise between reproduction of the original measurement data and a high compression factor. The algorithm for data compression comprises a dedicated space/time mapping (STM) method and an image compression algorithm (JPEG). The algorithm was tested on typical experimental thermography data. The results show a data storage compression factor of up to 24-55 at a reproduction accuracy which is still better than that achieved by an existing algorithm.