Echolocation is a form of scanning. When one performs echolocation, pulses are sent out into space. When the pulses hit something, they are reflected back to the original source. By timing the pulses, the object's location can be determined. However, this can also lead to the ship performing the echolocation being located as well.

The Bajoran Resistance used echolocation to locate Cardassian ships in the Badlands.

In 2372, a form of echolocation was used by the USS Defiant to locate two Jem'Hadar ships in the atmosphere of a gas giant. (DS9: "Starship Down")