This paper provides a tutorial on the principles of holography, follow
ed by a review of a newly developed 3-D imaging technique in which 3-D
optical information of an object can be extracted by a 2-D optical sc
an of the object. The technique is called optical scanning holography
(OSH). In the context of optical scanning holography, we discuss some
of its potential applications such as holographic information transmis
sion and television (TV) system, 3-D image coding and decoding, 3-D mi
croscopy, and 3-D optical remote sensing. In most cases, feasibility h
as been proven but awaits broader application.