1. A system for providing information to a user about the user's environment, the system comprising: a detection apparatus configured to obtain image information about the environment, wherein the image information corresponds to information at multiple distances relative to a position of the user within the environment; an electronic processor connected to the detection apparatus and configured to: obtain focal plane distance information defining a set of one or more distance values relative to the position of the user within the environment; construct one or more confocal images of the environment from the image information and the set of one or more distance values, wherein each of the one or more confocal images corresponds to a different distance value and comprises a set of pixels; and transform the one or more confocal images to form one or more representative images, wherein each representative image corresponds to one of the confocal images and comprises fewer pixels and a lower dynamic range than the set of pixels and a dynamic range of the corresponding confocal image; and a transmitter connected to the electronic processor and configured to transmit a signal comprising information corresponding to the one or more representative images to an output device.