CMIC

CMIC compresses quality score sequences in FASTQ files using lossless methods and indexing to reduce storage and provide random access for data generated by next-generation sequencing.

Key Features:

• Lossless Compression: Performs lossless compression of FASTQ quality score sequences, preserving exact quality values for downstream analyses.
• High Compression Rate: Achieves substantial file-size reductions, reported up to a 21.91% reduction compared to LCQS (Lossless Compressor for Quality Scores) in experimental comparisons.
• Fast Compression and Decompression Speeds: Reports faster compression and decompression throughput relative to comparator methods.
• Random Access Support: Implements an index structure that enables random access to compressed quality scores without full-file decompression.

Scientific Applications:

• Genomic data storage and management: Reduces storage footprint of quality scores in large-scale FASTQ datasets produced by next-generation sequencing.
• Targeted downstream analysis and retrieval: Enables selective access to compressed quality scores to support workflows that require retrieval of specific segments without decompressing entire files.

Methodology:

CMIC's framework performs classification, mapping, indexing, and lossless compression of quality score sequences.