Due to the increasing importance of digital communications, the area of research in coding theory and cryptography is broad and fast developing. In this book there are presented some of the latest research developments in the area. The book grew as a combination of two research conferences organized in the area: the Vlora Conference in Coding Theory and Cryptography held in Vlora, Albania during May 26-27, 2007, and the special session on coding theory as part of the Applications of Computer Algebra conference, held during July 19-22, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.

The Vlora Conference in Coding Theory and Cryptography is part of Vlora Conference Series which is a series of conferences organized yearly in the city of Vlora sometime in the period April 25 - May 30. The conference is 3-4 days long and focuses on some special topic each year. The topic of the 2007 conference was coding theory and cryptography. The Vlora conference series will host a Nato Advanced Study Institute during the year 2008 with the theme New Challenges in Digital Communications. More information of the conferences organized by the Vlora group can be found at http://www.albmath.org/vlconf.

In the new era of technology and advanced communications, coding theory and cryptography play a particularly significant role with a huge amount of research being done in both areas. This book presents some of that research, authored by prominent experts in the field. The book contains articles from a variety of topics most of which are from coding theory. Such topics include codes over order domains, Groebner representation of linear codes, Griesmer codes, optical orthogonal codes, lattices and theta functions related to codes, Goppa codes and Tschirnhausen modules, s-extremal codes, automorphisms of codes, etc. There are also papers in cryptography which include articles on extremal graph theory and its applications in cryptography, fast arithmetic on hyperelliptic curves via continued fraction expansions, etc. Researchers working in coding theory and cryptography will find this book an excellent source of information on recent research.