The document provides an introduction to the Kalman filter. It discusses that the Kalman filter is used to estimate the state of a system from a series of incomplete and noisy measurements. It does this optimally by using a linear feedback control. The Kalman filter works recursively on streams of noisy input data to produce a statistically optimal estimate of the underlying system state. It is effective in applications involving tracking or navigation such as object tracking. The Kalman filter assumes the true state is modeled as a linear dynamical system subject to Gaussian noise. It estimates the state of the system based on a series of measurements observed over time, with external disturbances and measurement noise.