A Doppler radar measures the speed of targets based on the Doppler shift of the radar signal reflected from moving objects. It calculates the speed and direction of movement by comparing the frequency offset between transmitted and received radar signals. Doppler radars are commonly used in weather forecasting to detect precipitation and traffic monitoring to measure vehicle speeds. They provide continuous speed information but generally do not distinguish between moving and stationary targets in cluttered environments.
MTI (Moving Target Indicator) is a radar technique that specifically identifies and displays moving targets while filtering out clutter and stationary objects. MTI uses Doppler processing, similar to Doppler radar, but focuses on canceling Doppler frequencies from stationary clutter yields. This allows MTI radar systems to highlight moving targets on the radar display, improving situational awareness and target tracking capabilities in environments with high clutter or background noise.
MTI is not the same as pulse Doppler radar. Although both techniques use Doppler processing to detect moving targets, they differ in their primary goals and signal processing methods. Pulse Doppler radar combines pulse radar (which measures range) with Doppler radar (which measures speed). Pulse Doppler radars can simultaneously detect range and velocity information for each target, making them effective for tracking moving targets in cluttered environments. MTI, on the other hand, focuses solely on indicating the presence and movement of moving targets by filtering out clutter and stationary yields based on Doppler shifts. Thus, Pulse Doppler radar provides more comprehensive target information, including speed and range, while MTI primarily identifies moving targets amid clutter without providing range information.