1. A method for hierarchical disparity estimation on an image pair, wherein image pyramids are created by successively downscaling each image of the image pair, the method comprising: applying a full search on a highest level of the image pyramids to determine initial disparity estimates; passing the initial disparity estimates to a next lower level of the image pyramids, the highest level having the lowest resolution; for each remaining hierarchy level of the image pyramids, partitioning the pixels of a hierarchy level into two or more groups of pixels, where each pixel in a group of pixels can be processed independently from remaining pixels of that group of pixels; for a first group of pixels, estimating disparity values for the pixels utilizing disparity estimates from a next higher level of the image pyramids; and for remaining groups of pixels, estimating disparity values for the pixels utilizing disparity estimates from a previously processed group of pixels in that hierarchy level.