超高速光学成像技术显著提高了传统显微成像系统的时间分辨率，已经在自然物理科学及生物医学等研究领域创造了许多新的突破和发现。但是高速实时成像系统不断产生海量的高速数据流，在成像系统后端对数据的高速采集、处理、存储和传输均带来极大挑战，并导致了大量能耗。本项目提出通过新颖的全光信号处理概念来应对连续高速成像系统中全新的大数据挑战，从而彻底避免现有系统中的电子和数字瓶颈。本项目将从三个互补的技术角度解决大数据难题：（1）在数字大数据生成之前研究全光信号预处理器;（2）研究全光数据压缩技术以减少总体数据量;（3）探索全新的数据压缩单像素超快成像技术。本项目是申请人在前期国际前沿超高速成像研究成果基础上的深化和拓展，旨在实现数据更高效，更智能和更环保的超快成像平台。该项目开发的技术不仅限于超高速成像，还将为解决数据通信，医疗保健，社交媒体和物联网等更广泛领域中的大数据问题提供潜在的解决方案。

Ultrafast optical imaging instrument enables new discoveries in scientific research and medicine. However, those real-time instruments continuously produce a deluge of data that can overwhelm even the most advanced electronic circuits and digital signal processors, challenge the storage and transport of vast data sets and cause massive energy consumption. This leads to the most overlooked Big Data challenge in ultrafast optical imaging, an inherent, but unintended consequence of high-throughput image capture. Within this project I envision an unprecedented revolution in ultrafast optical imaging by beating the Big Data challenge through the powerful concept of all-optical signal processing that will completely avoid the electronic and digital bottlenecks. The research will address this challenge from three complementary technical perspectives: (1) to investigate analogue photonic signal pre-processors before the big digital data is produced, (2) to study all-optical data compression techniques to reduce overall data volumes, and (3) to explore completely new type of data-efficient ultrafast imaging paradigms. My unique interdisciplinary research background puts me in the best position to successfully carry out this innovative and ambitious research, which will lead to revolutionary advancements of the state of the art and prospective evolution of ultrafast optical imaging towards future data-efficient, faster, smarter and greener imaging scenarios. Not only limited to ultrafast imaging, the developed technologies in the project will provide potential solutions to tackle the Big Data problems in broader fields of computing, data communications, healthcare, social media, and the internet of things.