1. A system for uncued discrimination of a bated spatial pattern in an image electronically rendered as a frame of image data points, comprising: a reference unit formulating a general dictionary of predefined multi-dimensional reference functions; a candidate detection unit pre-screening the frame of image data points to identify therein at least one candidate grouping of image data points collectively indicative of a predetermined spatial pattern; and, a sparse approximation unit coupled to said candidate detection unit and said reference unit, said sparse approximation unit computing for each said candidate grouping an optimal reference function defined with respect to said general dictionary, said sparse approximation unit projecting said optimal reference function of each said candidate grouping onto a corresponding portion of the image data frame defined thereby, each projected portion being extracted from the image data frame to leave a residual image data frame; wherein during iterative execution of said candidate detection and sparse approximation units, the residual image data frame of each iteration provides the image data frame for the immediately succeeding iteration.