Thermal imaging array
A thermal imaging array was a part of a sensor array aboard Federation starships, like the .

When the Enterprise-D was conducting scans of the Phoenix Cluster in early 2368, a conflict arose between the planetary evolution team and the stellar physicists. Both teams wished to use the thermal imaging array first. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge suggested flipping a coin in order to solve the problem. ()

Spacecraft components
Sensor technology