Rapid advances in electronic and optical technology have enabled the implementation of powerful error-control codes, which are now used in almost the entire range of information systems with close to optimal performance. These codes and decoding methods are required for the detection and correction of the errors and erasures which inevitably occur in digital information during transmission, storage and processing because of noise, interference and other imperfections. Error-control coding is a complex, novel and unfamiliar area, not yet widely understood and appreciated. This book sets out to provide a clear description of the essentials of the subject, with comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the most useful codes and their decoding algorithms. A practical engineering and information technology emphasis, as well as relevant background material and fundamental theoretical aspects, provides an in-depth guide to the essentials of Error-Control Coding. Provides extensive and detailed coverage of Block, Cyclic, BCH, Reed-Solomon, Convolutional, Turbo, and Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes, together with relevant aspects of Information Theory EXIT chart performance analysis for iteratively decoded error-control techniques Heavily illustrated with tables, diagrams, graphs, worked examples, and exercises Invaluable companion website features slides of figures, algorithm software, updates and solutions to problems Offering a complete overview of Error Control Coding, this book is an indispensable resource for students, engineers and researchers in the areas of telecommunications engineering, communication networks, electronic engineering, computer science, information systems and technology, digital signal processing and applied mathematics.