Information Theory
Information Theory has been introduced to represent source symbols randomly generated with encoding symbols accordingly how much information is carrying by the symbols. This equivalent representation minimizes the network loads by reducing number of flowing encoding symbols over the network and making the network non-degenerated. Random nature of a source or sender carries information and so there is existence of information theory.
Network Coding Theory
There is another philosophy of generating a function which represents lots of information symbols with lesser number of information symbols in the same base field and the philosophy is Network Coding Theory. For digital representation of symbols, Network Coding Theory evaluate a functions which represents lots of information carrying binary base field symbols (bit) to lesser number of bits, encoding, which has capability of generating all information bits from the functions evaluated and the algorithm is decoding.
