A novel wide‐band Doppler LIDAR detection technique (up to GHz range), by using two sets of digitally selected reference frequencies, is developed. It combines the advantages of two well‐known approaches—the analog quadrature detection (low sampling frequency and data rate, highly dynamic range) and the direct digitizing (fully digital controlling and processing without coherent oscillator minimum analog stages, very easy tuning) at the same accuracies as the Doppler estimates. This technique may be applied in airborne and satellite Doppler LIDARs as well as in low‐cost ground‐based systems using CO2or solid‐state laser sources. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.