Numerous studies in the fields of human vision and electronic imaging have revealed that the human visual system (HVS) tends to focus on a few preferred areas for given typical images/scenes. Subjective experiments have also shown a strong correlation for these preferred areas among the involved test subjects provided that the same context is viewed. In light of the limited available and expensive resources in technical systems such as mobile multimedia systems, it would therefore be favorable to explore findings about the operation of the HVS in the design of technical communication systems. This paper aims at stimulating such HVS driven approaches in the context of preferential image coding; the region of interest (ROI) coding and its potential application in wireless imaging. In particular, we will elaborate on the general concepts of ROI coding, propose a framework for ROI coding for wireless imaging, review ROI identification mechanisms, and discuss ROI support by non-standardized techniques and ROI support in the JPEG2000 standard. As this paper is of conceptual nature, the work will be consolidated in a classification of contemporary ROI coding techniques including a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages. As a consequence, a number of application areas of ROI coding are identified with the major focus given to the field of wireless imaging.