Abstract: Video compression method and apparatus wherein a scene image is captured and compared to an expected scene image that was generated based on a computer-modeled scene and wherein the difference data—if any exists, is transmitted and/or stored, thereby reducing the requisite bandwidth and/or storage space. Optionally, difference data that is considered unimportant can be ignored or otherwise omitted from transmission and/or storage. Embodiments of the present invention can replicate all or a portion of real-world camera or other sensor and scene characteristics, preferably using predictive modeling and adaptive analysis, to efficiently encode and transmit video data. Embodiments of the invention thus encompass methods for scene reconstruction, object tracking, parameter updating, and/or bandwidth-adaptive streaming, with particular applications in space-based imaging and video processing.