Method and apparatus for decoding a received set of encoded data

Abstract

A method of decoding a received set of encoded data representing information that has been compressed, wherein the encoded data set is divided into a hierarchy of subsets, is provided. The method comprises: obtaining, from at least one first subset, a respective set of offset values; and decoding a plurality of second subsets, each comprising a data structure of metadata and data, to derive a series of data values, wherein each second subset corresponds to a region of the information that has been compressed. Each offset value is associated with a second subset and indicates a relative position within the encoded data set that corresponds to the earliest element of the associated second subset with respect to the position within the encoded data set that corresponds to an element of another subset of the hierarchy of subsets. The decoding the plurality of second subsets includes identifying for each second subset, based on the set of offset values, the position within the encoded data that corresponds to the earliest element of the second subset. The method further comprises reconstructing the information that has been compressed from the data values.