Compression of information from one detector as a function of information from another detector

This invention relates in general to compression techniques and, more particularly, to techniques for efficiently compressing image information on a real-time basis. A system () for compressing video information includes an image detector () generating image information regarding a selected scene, a supplemental detector () generating supplemental information regarding the scene which is different from the image information, and a processing section (). The processing section generates compressed information by processing the image information as a function of the supplemental information. The processing section may store the compressed information in a storage section (), or may transmit the compressed information to a remote device through a communication link (). The image detector may generate video images of the scene in response to visible light. The supplemental detector may generate images of the scene which represent heat or distance, or may determine the portion of the scene to which an eye () of an operator is directed.