Holotank

The holotank was a special type of laboratory which was one of the facilities which were incorporated in Federation starships to aid the vessel's stellar cartography department.

Through the use of holographic technology, a representation of an area of space can be recreated and manipulated by an individual. In 2371, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lieutenant Commander Data used the holotank aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) to track the movement of the Nexus in an attempt to discover what Doctor Tolian Soran's plans were. (TNG movie: )

In 2379, William T. Riker spent time in the holotank of the USS Titan (NCC-80102) observing the "road ahead" on the eve of the Titan 's mission into the Beta Quadrant. When the mission was postponed so that the Titan could take part in a relief convoy to Romulus, Admiral Leonard James Akaar took control of the hololab and made it his base of operations as he studied the brittle political climate in the Romulan Star Empire. (TTN novel: Taking Wing)