This invention provides a 
system and method for 
processing discrete image data within an overall set of acquired image data based upon a focus of attention within that image. The result of such 
processing is to operate upon a more limited subset of the overall image data to generate output values required by the vision 
system process. Such output value can be a decoded ID or other 
alphanumeric data. The 
system and method is performed in a vision system having two processor groups, along with a 
data memory that is smaller in capacity than the amount of image data to be read out from the 
sensor array. The first processor group is a plurality of 
SIMD processors and at least one 
general purpose processor, co-located on the same die with the 
data memory. A 
data reduction function operates within the same 
clock cycle as data-readout from the sensor to generate a reduced 
data set that is stored in the on-die 
data memory. At least a portion of the overall, unreduced image data is concurrently (in the same 
clock cycle) transferred to the second processor while the first processor transmits at least one region indicator with respect to the reduced 
data set to the second processor. The region indicator represents at least one focus of attention for the second processor to operate upon.