Jacob Ziv, known for his pioneering contributions to communication and information theory that inspired generations of researchers, passed away on March 25, 2023 at the age of 91. Perhaps his most celebrated achievement is the creation, together with Abraham Lempel, of efficient universal compression algorithms, known as LZ77 and LZ78. These algorithms have had a profound and far reaching impact in digital technologies including the widely used gzip package and the GIF image format.
Dr. Ziv received numerous prizes and accolades for his work, including the Â鶹´«Ã½AV Richard W. Hamming Medal, the Â鶹´«Ã½AV Information Theory Society Claude E. Shannon Award, the Â鶹´«Ã½AV Information Theory Society Golden Jubilee Awards for Technological Innovation, the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, and the Â鶹´«Ã½AV Medal of Honor. He was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.Â