Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)

We Are Better Together

Our Commercial Innovation Center (CIC) is a first-of-its-kind, online development and test platform that provides a secure, virtual, open ecosystem and test sandbox for developers and researchers. We do it by harnessing the combined powers of commercial remote sensing, unclassified open datasets, cloud technologies, in a secure development ecosystem fueled by new, emerging, and seasoned tools, services and data to create solutions that keep our nation safe. The Riverside Research CIC is the place where commercial subject matter experts come together securely to collaborate and create the best commercial solutions to real world scenarios before they're integrated and deployed in the field.

Together, we win

It’s not as much fun to play in the sandbox by yourself, right? We know from experience that it’s the collective work of many people with diverse experiences and backgrounds that create the most effective solutions. By design, the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes. Because of our unique position as a nonprofit in the defense space, we can provide the neutral environment where collaborative innovation thrives. As demonstrated on this video, capitalizing on all commercial sensors available improves our progress towards persistent observation.

Access to rich datasets

Data is the one thing that is guaranteed to continuously grow and change. Technology entrepreneurs’ success revolves around access to these data and developing improved AI and machine learning tools creating integrated and advanced applications for businesses in support of (United States Government) USG needs.

Advanced tools and applications

Advanced tools and applications

Technology innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented and virtual reality present significant entrepreneurial opportunities, yet all require geospatial data for development. Early-stage entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and innovators will now have access to the large datasets that are traditionally only available to large, established industry players. Such datasets are often too costly for early-stage entrepreneurs and researchers to acquire, and even if the datasets are made available, they are often not packaged in a manner that allows innovators to work with the data—they are overwhelmingly unwieldy and non-standardized. The CIC data environment seeks to solve that problem, allowing researchers and entrepreneurs new opportunities for experimentation, testing, and training.

The CIC pairs this data with tools and services to streamline development timelines by ensuring flexible licenses are available for your R&D activities within the CIC ecosystem. As new tools and services become available, we negotiate with the vendors for early and shared access amongst our CIC participants to the latest and greatest capabilities from established vendors in the remote sensing market. This visual shows a few or our early integrators, and as new vendors are integrated, we’ll let the community know!

CIC Data Search and Discovery

Your all-access pass

The CIC supports and enables industry, scientific, academic, and governmental R&D activities by facilitating access to commercial remote sensing data. Riverside Research integrates the hardware, software, processes, data, tools, internet accesses, demonstration capabilities, and other IT infrastructure required to execute CIC participant SIBR projects and meet R&D objectives. Our CIC offers:

  • Exposure to diverse and emerging data and data types for more data scientists
  • Increased interaction between content providers and new application developers; enables cloud-hybrid, multi-INT applications
  • Lowered entry barriers by eliminating the need for a user-developed system
  • Integrated orchestration-to-analysis workflow
  • Timely teaming, technology, and tipping
  • Accelerated access and use of commercial remote sensing solutions and innovation
Right where you want it

Right where you want it

Are you looking for a cloud-hosting environment where you can easily access commercial data for development and test—all from one place to safely develop, load, and test capabilities?

Our trusted, unclassified, virtual development platform provides access to R&D-licensed commercial remote sensing phenomenologies (e.g., EO, radar, IR, RF), connects emerging and established vendors with shared application tools and services, and facilitates GEOINT, MASINT, and Multi-INT research and development. The CIC includes:

  • An ecosystem of commercial data providers (CDPs)
  • A network of application developers
  • Common R&D data and COTS/GOTS tools (e.g., loading, discovery)
  • Common testing data (curated, tagged)
  • Robust DevOps environment
  • Hybrid cloud-ready infrastructure
  • Protected intellectual property and data rights
  • Maturing secure data fabric
CIC mission, vision & values

CIC mission, vision & values

Mission: Provide data scientists and algorithm developers with a virtual development and test platform and access to new and diverse commercial remote sensing data to develop algorithms, tools, and services.

Vision: Work in the Nation’s interest to offer proven expertise and experience in commercial remote sensing to solve problems through innovation, agility, and creative thinking.

Values: Encourage partnerships and connect emerging and established users across USG and industry with shared application tools, services, and diverse commercial constellation data.

Participant Agreements: We offer access to a secure, virtual, cloud-based ecosystem to perform R&D using existing and emerging commercial sources to develop and test algorithms, tools, and services accelerating USG objectives.

Commercial Experts: We offer our commercial experience, data scientists, and phenomenology experts to support efforts using the CIC to perform commercial utility assessments, new sensor development, synthetic data V&V, data value/usability studies, and more.

Products and Services: We offer access to CIC-based products and services such as synthetic data generation, data tagging, AI/ML V&V, data compression, data geo-registration, and more.

Work With the Commercial Innovation Center
Press Inquiries About the CIC

Commercial Innovation in the News

  • Commercial Imagery
  • Satellite Launches
  • EO-MSI
  • SAR
  • HSI
  • RF
  • SSA
Commercial Imagery
Images Show Russia Fortified Port Before Ukrainian Drone Attacked Sub - Business Insider

Newly captured satellite imagery shows the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone attack that targeted a Russian submarine at a naval base on the Black ...

Dec 16,2025
Capturing the World's Built Environment - Center for Data Innovation

They used global satellite imagery and applied machine-learning models to identify individual building footprints and estimate their height from radar ...

Dec 16,2025
SpaceX Warns Of Dangerous Chinese Satellite Deployment | Aviation Week Network

China's recent deployment of nine satellites occurred dangerously close to a Starlink satellite, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering ...

Dec 16,2025
Assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering named IEEE Alabama Section ...

Burch said these measurements are increasingly critical as society becomes more dependent on satellite navigation, aviation operations and power grid ...

Dec 16,2025
A Practical Guide to Evaluating Chinese Media and Public Data for Studying Nuclear Forces

... commercial satellite imagery. These powerful open-source tools enable ... A Guide to Satellite Imagery Analysis for the Nuclear Age – Assessing China's ...

Dec 16,2025
Before & after satellite images of the flooding - Seattle - Reddit

How can you find current satellite images? I'm hoping to check the status of a few addresses.

Dec 16,2025
planet satellite imagery captured on December 5 shows that two Kilo-class submarines were ...

Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar). 852 likes 20 replies. MORE: @planet satellite imagery captured on December 5 shows that two ...

Dec 16,2025
Tropical Cyclone 07S (Bakung) / Tropical Cyclone 08P / Invest 93S - Pacific Disaster Center

... satellite imagery (msi). Some deep convection persists especially on the western side of the circulation. The system exhibits moderate poleward ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite imagery from this morning shows the beginning of our snow melting off across ... - Facebook

Satellite imagery from this morning shows the beginning of our snow melting off across central Illinois. You can see the southern edge of the snow ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite imagery displays snow cover today. There are no snow storms in sight for the next ...

Satellite imagery displays snow cover today. There are no snow storms in sight for the next week and a half. That means the only way to have a ...

Dec 16,2025
Bexar County moves forward on NextGen Flood Warning System | TPR - Texas Public Radio

NOAA satellite image on Dec. 16, 2025 shows clouds covering eastern two-thirds · Wednesday work commutes in San Antonio may be slick · More Than ...

Dec 16,2025
Looking to run geospatial ML models at scale on satellite and aerial imagery? You're invited ...

Looking to run geospatial ML models at scale on satellite and aerial imagery? You're invited to try RasterFlow and help shape the future of our ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite Imagery Shows 'Pineapple Express' Moving Toward West Coast - Yahoo

Satellite Imagery Shows 'Pineapple Express' Moving Toward West Coast. Storyful. Tue, December 16, 2025 at 10:09 AM PST. No compatible source was ...

Dec 16,2025
EraDrive raises $5.3 million for software-hardware kits to enhance satellite autonomy

SAN FRANCISCO – EraDrive, a Stanford University spinoff developing software and hardware for satellite autonomy, raised $5.3 million in an ...

Dec 16,2025
New satellite imagery from today (Dec. 16) of the piers at Russia's Novorossiysk naval base ...

Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel). 65 likes 7 replies. New satellite imagery from today (Dec. 16) of the piers at Russia's Novorossiysk naval base, ...

Dec 16,2025
Rochester-area school sets boundaries for students' use of AI - Spectrum News

Satellite-Radar · Traffic Map · Traffic News. SPORTS. Sports Headlines ... A local school is setting boundaries for artificial intelligence use in ...

Dec 16,2025
New report finds the Arctic continues to warm faster than the planet as a whole - NPR

Over ensuing years, satellite imagery, water testing and ground ... The maximum sea ice extent observed in March 2025 was the lowest in the 47-year ...

Dec 16,2025
New study points to private land as key to Atlantic Forest recovery - Mongabay

The authors note that this estimate is likely conservative, since satellite imagery has well-known limitations. It often fails to detect the ...

Dec 16,2025
One of NASA's Key Cameras Orbiting Mars Takes 100000th Image

NASA, Partners Share First Data From New US-European Sea Satellite · NASA's Webb, Curiosity Named in TIME's Best Inventions Hall of Fame · NASA JPL ...

Dec 16,2025
New report finds the Arctic continues to warm faster than the planet as a whole

This year saw the lowest sea-ice extent in the 47-year satellite record. A map of the Arctic Circle. The latest Arctic Report Card from the National ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite Launches
Private satellites pinpoint methane emissions from oil, gas and coal facilities worldwide

... images showing colored methane emissions in purple from coal, oil, and ... Two new satellites were launched in June, and two more in November ...

Dec 16,2025
SpaceX Valuation Soars on Record Launches, Starlink Growth - Forbes

(Photo by Paul Hennesy/Anadolu via Getty Images) ... More. Anadolu via Getty Images ... satellite deployments. Launch revenue increased from an ...

Dec 16,2025
NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is still silent at Mars — and apparently is spinning, too | Space

MAVEN launched in November 2013 and arrived ... An Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket launches the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite from French.

Dec 16,2025
China launches Ziyuan III 04 satellite to boost mapping capabilities - Facebook

... satellite, using a Long March-4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Now in orbit, this satellite will help provide detailed 3D images ...

Dec 16,2025
NASA, Partners Share First Data From New US-European Sea Satellite

Launched in November, Sentinel-6B will track ocean height with ultraprecision to advance marine forecasting, national security, and more.

Dec 16,2025
PUNCH mission spacecraft producing unprecedented images of Sun - Phys.org

... imaging the sun in context while tracking comets and enormous ... NASA's PUNCH satellites successfully launch to study the solar wind. Mar ...

Dec 16,2025
Ukraine's strike on Russian submarine - Satellite images capture damage

Satellite images of the site ... Its armament includes six 533 mm torpedo tubes, which can be used to launch both torpedoes and cruise missiles.

Dec 16,2025
SpaceX plans to launch nearly 30 Starlink satellites - Spectrum News 13

SpaceX stated it is going to send up its Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for the Starlink 6-99 mission.

Dec 16,2025
Copernicus Sentinel-6B delivers first altimeter images and reaches final orbit | EUMETSAT

... satellite altimetry well into the 2030s. Our teams ... Images and further mission updates are available via EUMETSAT's Sentinel-6B launch hub.

Dec 16,2025
NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory Reveals 'First Light' Images

The far ultraviolet light imagery from the Narrow Field Imagery ... NASA, Partners Share First Data From New US-European Sea Satellite. Launched ...

Dec 16,2025
How the tech industry's embrace of Trump may be paying dividends - The Guardian

... Images. Three years since ... In early November, the startup Starcloud launched a satellite into orbit that carried a powerful Nvidia H100 chip.

Dec 16,2025
Elon Musk's Starlink satellites narrowly avoid collision with Chinese ones | Euronews

CAS Space Kinetica 1 launch carried "six Chinese multifunctional satellites ... Extremist groups use AI to produce fake images and recruit new members.

Dec 16,2025
Sentinel-6B's 'First Light' Captures Atlantic Ocean Sea Level Data

... satellite's twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in 2020. ... Keep Exploring. Earth. NASA's Psyche Images Earth and Moon · SWOT Satellite ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite images show impact of Ukrainian drone strike on Russian submarine - UA.NEWS

Specifically, these submarines can carry and deploy Kalibr missiles—typically up to four—which are launched through the torpedo tubes. https://cdn- ...

Dec 16,2025
NOAA's Satellite Products for Observing Ocean Winds

Hurricane Erin seen from space, it has blue, yellow and green hures. Hurricane Erin cloud imagery from GOES-19) and ocean surface vector winds from ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East | Space photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025

NASA's new satellite imagery now provides the first observational ... CAS Space's Kinetica-1 rocket launches two technical experiment satellites ...

Dec 16,2025
NASA, Partners Share First Data From New US-European Sea Satellite

... satellite's twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in 2020. ... Earth. NASA-ISRO Satellite Sends First Radar Images of Earth's Surface.

Dec 16,2025
Meteosat-11 Satellite Views Of Upside Down Earth And Moon During Post-Launch Test

Meteosat-11 Satellite Views Of Upside Down Earth And Moon During Post-Launch Test ... China's Yutu-2 Rover Captures Images Of Moon's Far Side · Space.

Dec 16,2025
The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth ...

But as more and more satellites are launched into LEO – SpaceX's ... Among other benefits, VLEO satellites can provide higher-resolution images, faster ...

Dec 16,2025
China Focus: China launches satellite to enhance survey, mapping service capabilities

It is composed of three cameras with different shooting angles, which can generate three-dimensional images of observed objects through aerial ...

Dec 16,2025
EO-MSI
Rush Gold Advances Exploration with Successful Reconnaissance and Satellite Imaging

The latest update is out from Rush Gold Corp. ( ($TSE:RGN) ). Rush Gold Corp. has completed its Phase 1 geologic reconnaissance and WorldView-3 ...

Dec 16,2025
Sentinel-6B Continues 30-Year Legacy of Sea Level Measurements | NASA Earthdata

Worldview · Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) ... The satellite mission continues the long-term record of ocean height ...

Dec 16,2025
The president of Brazil's Anatel telecom regulator on changing ITU rules to allow all nations ...

Geospatial constellation operator Satellogic: $90M stock offering provides enough cash for 12 months' operations · Dazzled by the vision of 1000s of ...

Dec 16,2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean absorb more atmospheric heat than climate models predict

Visible satellite image showing storms sweeping across the Southern Ocean on 4 January 2019. ... Credit: NASA Worldview Snapshot. Intense storms that ...

Dec 16,2025
5 Things About Satellites They Didn't Teach You In School - SlashGear

Maxar Technologies provided imagery that cut through snowstorms to show troop movements. Governments and companies quickly caught onto the ...

Dec 16,2025
Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025 | Space

(Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and Landsat data from ...

Dec 16,2025
The next frontier in space is closer than you think – welcome to the world of very low Earth ...

As an engineer and professor who is developing technologies to extend the human presence beyond Earth, I ... satellite to a higher-orbiting satellite ...

Dec 16,2025
Future Perspectives: Key Trends Shaping the Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Until 2029

... Maxar Technologies Inc., MDA Corporation, Planet Labs Inc., Spire Global, BlackSky Global, Iceye, EOS Data Analytics, RS Metrics, D-Orbit ...

Dec 16,2025
Rush Gold Completes Field Investigations and WorldView-3 Satellite Image Acquisition at ...

Rush Gold Completes Field Investigations and WorldView-3 Satellite Image Acquisition at Skylight and Legal Tender Properties. Tuesday, December 16 ...

Dec 16,2025
Dr Lilian Pintea of Jane Goodall Institute to deliver keynote at Geo Week 2026

... Maxar satellite image. (Image courtesy: Jane Goodall Institute and Lilian Pintea). Geomatics Newsletter. Value staying current with geomatics? Stay ...

Dec 16,2025
Rush Gold Completes Field Investigations and WorldView-3 Satellite Image Acquisition at ...

Rush Gold Completes Field Investigations and WorldView-3 Satellite Image Acquisition at Skylight and Legal Tender Properties. Rush Gold Corp ...

Dec 16,2025
Space42 and Cobham Satcom complete terminal portfolio for Thuraya-4 - SatellitePro ME

... NEO M supporting secure, mission-critical military operations and the ... SatellitePro ME addresses all aspects of the satellite industry ...

Dec 16,2025
Rocket Lab Electron rocket aborts liftoff at engine ignition - Spaceflight Now

“The new Neonsat-1A satellite will be deployed to validate KAIST's advanced satellite's ... Rocket Lab launch fulfills initial block of BlackSky Earth- ...

Dec 16,2025
AI is in our DNA - BlackSky

Intelligence sources that use traditional approaches can take days to process and analyze raw satellite data. We know that customers cannot wait that ...

Dec 16,2025
SAR
Amid the Arctic's Hottest Year, Arctic Science Faces a Data Deficiency - Eos.org

Sea ice in the Arctic continues to hit new lows: Maximum sea ice extent this winter was the lowest observed in the 47-year satellite record. As ...

Dec 16,2025
EOS announces a USD80 million contract to supply laser C-UAS systems to Korea

The laser weapon will be manufactured at EOS' new Laser Weapon Manufacturing Facility in Singapore. “Under the Contract, and subject to satisfaction ...

Dec 16,2025
5 Things About Satellites They Didn't Teach You In School - SlashGear

Space Forge, based in Wales, launched its first production satellite, ForgeStar-1, in June 2025, to test semiconductor manufacturing. The company is ...

Dec 16,2025
Future Perspectives: Key Trends Shaping the Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Until 2029

... Iceye, EOS Data Analytics, RS Metrics, D-Orbit, Descartes Labs, UrtheCast, Orbital Insight, GHGSat, Satellogic SA, GomSpace, SkyWatch Inc., Global ...

Dec 16,2025
ISRO to launch Orbital Paradigm's Kestrel cargo capsule demonstrator on 31 Dec - MSN

ISRO to launch strategic EOS-N1 satellite on 31 Dec with PSLV rocket ... EOS-N1 'Anvesha' satellite for the DRDO. There are 18 copassengers on ...

Dec 16,2025
Rocket Lab Electron rocket aborts liftoff at engine ignition - Spaceflight Now

“The new Neonsat-1A satellite will be deployed to validate KAIST's advanced satellite's ... Amid shuffling schedules, Capella to fly its first ...

Dec 16,2025
Egypt Launches Locally Manufactured SPNEX Satellite for Climate Research

The Egyptian Space Agency has announced the successful launch of the SPNEX satellite last Wednesday, December 10, 2025 ... ICEYE Secures New Funding in ...

Dec 16,2025
United States - Bpifrance Invests In The €200 Million Series E Financing Of ICEYE - Mondaq

ICEYE is a Finnish company specializing in Earth observation and owns the largest synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation. This ...

Dec 16,2025
The scale of the November 2025 landslide disaster in Sumatra - Eos.org

... satellite image (the centre marker is at [4.57347, 96.87513]:-.

Dec 16,2025
ISRO Plans Seven Launches By March 2026 - Electronics For You BUSINESS

Other planned missions include the GSLV Mk II launch of the EOS 5 or GISAT 1A satellite, and the PSLV 63 mission carrying TDS 01 to demonstrate high ...

Dec 16,2025
Spring storms bill to top $1 billion, Perils says - Insurance News - insuranceNEWS.com.au

Perils will update its estimate of the market loss in February. From the latest Insurance News magazine: Meet ICEYE, the satellite imaging group that ...

Dec 16,2025
Spaceports: The strategic infrastructure Europe's overlooking - Sifted

Europe is on the cusp of its first mainland satellite launch from ... Satellite startup Iceye hits €2.4bn valuation as it zeroes in on defence.

Dec 16,2025
Beyond the Atmosphere: Why Telcos and Satellite Providers Must Co-Operate for Global Coverage

... Satellite Launches with Popular Apps and Industrial IoT Connectivity · ICEYE Strengthens Sovereign SAR Satellite Capability with New €150M Funding.

Dec 16,2025
Momentum building for Singapore Space Summit 2026 - SPACE & DEFENSE

... Umbra Space, and Zero Error Systems. Leck ... microsatellite manufacturer, focusing on Earth observation and satellite communication missions.

Dec 16,2025
South Korea's Innospace targets first commercial launch from Brazil - Astronomy Magazine

Finally, ISRO is scheduled to launch the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission on Dec. 30. Up Next.

Dec 16,2025
HSI
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)