What is the difference between Motion Imagery and Full Motion Video?

Last Updated on September 26, 2024 by Datatoys

Lately, some of our competitors, especially with similar looking units by similar names, are now using the term FMV. This is rather imaginative, since the technology used by them is not KLV Metadata STANAG 4609 compliant. The following explains why “FM” or “Full Motion Video” term should not be used. This text has been copied from the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence website: http://www.gwg.nga.mil/misb/faq.html#section1.4 

What is the difference between Motion Imagery and Full Motion Video?

Let’s take a look at the differences between the two below.

Motion Imagery

Motion Imagery is a sequence of Images, that when viewed (e.g. with a media player) must have the potential for providing informational or intelligence value. This implies the Images composing the Motion Imagery are: (1) generated from sensed data, and (2) related to each other both in time and in space. Some sensed data, such as Visible Light and Infrared, can be used directly to form Images, while others, such as SAR and LIDAR, require a conversion to a viewable Image. To satisfy the time and space relationship the capture time (i.e. the time the Image was taken) of each successive Image must be sequentially in order and the space relationship between each successive Image must have some recognizable visual overlap with the previous Image.

Full Motion Video

Full Motion Video (FMV) is a term used within the military and intelligence communities. As used, FMV implies a very narrow subset of Motion Imagery; one that assumes geo-spatial metadata, commercial image formats and playback rates. FMV has no formal definition and conveys different meanings to different communities; therefore, the term FMV should not be used in any contractual language.