US Patent 9384218 Format identification for fragmented image data

Format identification for fragmented data is disclosed. In some embodiments, an input stream of information that includes a continuity property is received. A format identifier of at least a portion of the stream is determined, wherein the format identifier includes a data representation size, a group size, and an alignment that is consistent with the continuity property. The stream of information is compressed using a compression technique selected based on the format identifier to produce a compressed stream, and the compressed stream is stored.