Correcting Errors Through Partitioning and Burst-Deletion Correction

In this paper, we propose a partitioning technique that decomposes a pair of sequences with overlapping $t$-deletion $s$-substitution balls into sub-pairs, where the $^{\leq}t$-burst-deletion balls of each sub-pair intersect. This decomposition facilitates the development of $t$-deletion $s$-substitution correcting codes that leverage approaches from $^{\leq}t$-burst-deletion correction. Building upon established approaches in the $^{\leq}t$-burst-deletion correction domain, we construct $t$-deletion $s$-substitution correcting codes for $t\in \{1,2\}$ over binary alphabets and for $t=1$ in non-binary alphabets, with some constructions matching existing results and others outperforming current methods. Our framework offers new insights into the underlying principles of prior works, elucidates the limitations of current approaches, and provides a unified perspective on error correction strategies.