An efficient encoding and decoding algorithm for tracking circulation of commodity by discretizing information matrix

Summary In this paper, an efficient encoding and decoding algorithm is developed for tracking circulation of commodity. We take a discrete and optimized approach to construct the encoding and decoding method by using a matrix as an information carrier. This method is more durable against the damage of outer packages and can obtain a high recovery rate of commodity's information. Generally, it is very diffcult to track the original information in the circulation of commodity. We use the optimized encoding method to link the original information of commodity with a database so that the commodity can be pinpointed in the whole circulation. Also, the original information can be restored by an efficient decoding algorithm whenever necessary. The optimized method is designed based on two traditional encoding and decoding methods, and these methods are compared by running certain simulations with a large number of testing data. The results show that the improved and optimized method can obtain a much higher recovery rate of commodity's information and is more durable against the damage of outer packages. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.