BMP

BMP is an acronym with several distinct meanings across disciplines, most notably in computing, biology, and linguistics.

Bitmap image file format: The BMP file format, or Windows Bitmap, is a raster graphics format used by Windows and many other platforms. A BMP file contains a header with image dimensions, color depth, and compression method, followed by pixel data. It supports color depths from 1 to 32 bits per pixel and may include a color table for indexed images. Many BMPs are uncompressed, but some variants use simple compression schemes such as run-length encoding. Because of its straightforward structure and broad compatibility, BMP files are easy to read and write, but they tend to be larger than modern compressed formats. The standard file extension is .bmp.

Bone morphogenetic proteins: Bone morphogenetic proteins are a group of growth factors in the transforming growth factor beta superfamily that promote bone and cartilage formation. They have roles in embryonic development and in healing after injury. Recombinant BMPs, notably BMP-2 and BMP-7, are used clinically to enhance osseous fusion and repair, typically with controlled delivery and monitoring for adverse effects such as inflammation or unwanted bone growth in soft tissues.

Basic Multilingual Plane: In Unicode, the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) comprises code points from U+0000 to U+FFFF, containing the majority of common characters for many scripts. It is the most widely used plane, but supplementary planes hold additional symbols and seldom-used characters. Handling considerations include font support and constraints of older software.

Other uses: In other contexts BMP can stand for Best Management Practice, a term in environmental policy and compliance.