Standards Development

Scope

The scope of JPEG DNA is the creation of a standard for efficient coding of images that considers biochemical constraints and offers robustness to noise introduced by the different stages of the storage process that is based on DNA synthetic polymers. JPEG DNA is a multipart standard. Part 1, JPEG DNA Core Coding System, defines the syntax and an accompanying decompression process that is capable of representing bi-level, continuous-tone grey-scale, continuous-tone colour, or multichannel digital samples in a format representing nucleotide sequences for supporting DNA storage.

Purpose

DNA is a macromolecule essential for any form of life and is made of simple units that line up in a
particular order within this large molecule. The order of these units usually carries the genetic
information for a specific life organism, similar to how the order of letters in a text carries information.
However, it is also possible to create artificial DNA molecules with specific DNA unit orders, notably to
store some relevant sequence of information.
 In digital media information, notably images, the relevant representation symbols, e.g., quantized DCT
coefficients, are expressed in bits (binary units). Still, they could be expressed in other units, such as
the DNA units, which follow a 4-ary representation basis. This would mean that artificial DNA molecules
may be created with a specific DNA unit configuration, which stores some media representation
symbols or bits, e.g., the symbols or bits of a JPEG compressed image, thus leading to DNA-based
media storage as a form of molecular data storage. In this context, DNA storage implies DNA
synthesis/storage and DNA sequencing/access, which are currently rather complex and expensive
processes. However, these processes are expected to become increasingly affordable in the coming
years.
 To make this storage mechanism more interesting, the DNA data storage density is extremely high,
notably beyond any available storage technology. Moreover, DNA-based storage is also extremely
stable, as demonstrated by the complete genome sequencing of a fossil horse that lived 700,000 years ago. And, even more interesting, storing DNA does not require much energy. On the other hand,
current magnetic and optical data-storage systems cannot last for more than a century, and they
consume large amounts of energy. In summary, DNA-based storage may be a compelling alternative to the current data-storage solutions, which seem to have rather severe limitations, notably in terms of
storage capacity, duration, and energy consumption. There is a standing demand from industries
relying on cloud services for a long-term, reliable, interoperable format for digital media storage on
DNA support.
 In September 2020, the JPEG Committee initiated an exploration of standardization needs to facilitate
an efficient coding of images that considers biochemical constraints and offers robustness to noise
introduced by the different stages of the storage process based on DNA synthetic polymers. During this process, several workshops were organized to interact with various stakeholders. The recordings and presentations of these workshops are available on the JPEG website. The discussions ultimately led to a Call for Proposals on Digital Media Storage on DNA Support issued in April 2023. The committee received three responses from industry and academia.

 Based on these proposals and with an ecosystem of widely adopted standards, WG1 is wellpositioned to undertake a standardization activity to develop a standard for digital media storage on
DNA support.