RANDOM SCAN SYSTEM

A two-dimensional video data acquisition system comprising: video detector apparatus for scanning a visual scene; controller apparatus for generating scan pattern instructions; system interface apparatus for selecting at least one scan pattern for acquisition of video data from the visual scene, the scan pattern being selected from a plurality of such patterns in accordance with the scan pattern instructions; and scan-video interface apparatus comprising random scan driver apparatus for generating scan control signals in accordance with the selected scan pattern, the video detector apparatus scanning the visual scene in accordance with the scan control signals to provide an output to the system interface such that an intensity data map is stored therein, the controller apparatus performing data processing of the intensity data map in accordance with a predetermined set of video data characteristics.