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
North Korea building three lavish mansions at site for visiting foreign leaders | NK PRO

Satellite imagery shows that the three mansions each cover around 140,000 square feet, roughly the same size as the two existing ones at the site that ...

Dec 8,2025
Surging satellite numbers threaten to dazzle even space telescopes - Hindustan Times

Surging satellite numbers threaten to dazzle even space telescopes ... (Representative image) PREMIUM Representational image. (Representative ...

Dec 8,2025
Melbourne startup Akula Tech lays off 70% of staff months after satellite launch

The business had termed the successful launch “a new chapter for sovereign space intelligence”. “This is more than a satellite, it's a vision becoming ...

Dec 8,2025
ICEYE, Portuguese Air Force announce first direct satellite procurement - Evertiq

ICEYE will deliver a state-of-the-art SAR satellite to the Portuguese Air Force. ICEYE's SAR technology provides unique advantages, ...

Dec 8,2025
Why civilians now lead emergency response | The Jerusalem Post

Using real-time satellite imagery, they guided crews around debris and dangerous currents, even identifying likely locations of victims. Without ...

Dec 8,2025
Portugal Procures Iceye SAR Satellite as Company Launches Five Additional Satellites

... satellite. This strategic move enhances Portugal's autonomy in data ... All-Weather Imaging: SAR technology provides reliable imaging ...

Dec 8,2025
Satellite Imagery - Difference between viewing angle and incidence angle? : r/remotesensing

Satellite Imagery - Difference between viewing angle and incidence angle? I do not understand. Have been trying to find an answer but am too ...

Dec 8,2025
Iceye secures EUR 200 million as high-profile investors pile in - XYZ

... satellite. Source: press kit ICEYE. This article is a part of ... With on-demand satellite imagery, governments and intelligence agencies ...

Dec 8,2025
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says - NPR

The image shows an aerial view of icebergs in the ocean. At the top ... satellite constellations on astronomy," AAS Deputy Director of Public ...

Dec 8,2025
Zoning Permits Filed For Office-to-Housing Conversion in Downtown Berkeley

... 2001 Center Street, image via Google Satellite. By: Andrew Nelson 5:30 am on December 7, 2025. Zoning permits have been ...

Dec 8,2025
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 6, 2025 - Institute for the Study of War

... satellite imagery and other geospatial data as the basis for these reports. References to all sources used are provided in the endnotes of each ...

Dec 8,2025
Stellar Space Industries takes aim at Very Low Earth Orbit - IO+

Ultra-sharp imaging, low-latency communications, and more responsive ... satellite, without relying on ground antennas, because the power and ...

Dec 8,2025
Scientists Had Moss Grow On The Outside Of The ISS For Months - Here's What Happened

Space agriculture may be possible. Satellite image of Ganges Chasma on Mars NASA/Wikimedia Commons Public Domain. Using the nine-month window and ...

Dec 8,2025
UN humanitarian chief: world needs to 'wake up' and help stop violence in Sudan

Satellite imagery shows possible mass graves in el-Fasher and beyond, raising fears of suspected genocide. More than 20 years ago, between 2003 ...

Dec 8,2025
SpaceX to launch 3000th Starlink satellite in 2025 on record-setting 32nd flight of Falcon 9 booster

Image: Adam Bernstein / Spaceflight Now. SpaceX is set to achieve a ... commercial satellite launch May 31. Be the first to comment. Leave a ...

Dec 8,2025
A satellite image of lower Manhattan shows smoke and ash rising from the site of the World ...

A satellite image of lower Manhattan shows smoke and ash rising from the site of the World Trade Center at 11:43 a.m. September 12, ...

Dec 8,2025
Drone strikes on Sudan kindergarten and hospital kill dozens, local official says

Satellite imagery and fire monitoring data showed no visible signs of smoke or fire in Adre on Thursday or Friday. The army has accused the United ...

Dec 8,2025
Drone Strikes on Sudan Kindergarten, Hospital Kill Dozens: Local Official

Satellite imagery and fire monitoring data, verified by AFP, showed no visible signs of smoke or fire in Adre on Thursday or Friday. The army has ...

Dec 8,2025
Defense - Recent satellite imagery has confirmed that a drone attack successfully destroyed ...

Recent satellite imagery has confirmed that a drone attack successfully destroyed multiple oil storage tanks at a depot in Russia's Oryol region.

Dec 8,2025
Florida Center for Early Childhood hosts 2nd annual Wonder Gala | Your Observer

A satellite image of Hurricane Irma. December 4, 2025. Hurricane season ends without Florida landfall · Sarasota Police on Monday recovered a sunken ...

Dec 8,2025
Satellite Launches
EgSA passes design review for China's Chang'e-8 imaging system - SatellitePro ME

Our newsletters have a finger on the pulse of the region's satellite and telecom sectors, offering you the latest news from launches to deployments ...

Dec 8,2025
What's that in the sky? WTOP has the answers - WTOP News

When SpaceX launches a new group of its Starlink satellites check here— it is very likely that they will be spotted as a group, or “train” going ...

Dec 8,2025
Surging satellite numbers threaten to dazzle even space telescopes - Hindustan Times

... images contaminated by streaks of sunlight reflected off passing satellites. ... China's Xuntian space telescope is due to launch next year and ...

Dec 8,2025
Russia Faces Space Mission Crisis After Severe Soyuz Launch Pad Accident - ScienceAlert

Aerial images of a launchpad Drone footage of Site 31/6 before (above) and after (below) launch, showing the damage to the maintenance cabin.

Dec 8,2025
Portugal Procures Iceye SAR Satellite as Company Launches Five Additional Satellites

All-Weather Imaging: SAR technology provides reliable imaging capabilities regardless of weather conditions and available lighting, enabling ...

Dec 8,2025
ArkEdge boosts 6U micro-satellite fleet with three-satellite AE5R launch - Space Daily

... Satellites, enabling simultaneous design, manufacturing, testing, and operation of multiple satellites and supporting the three-satellite AE5R launch.

Dec 8,2025
ICEYE Strengthens Sovereign SAR Satellite Capability with New €150M Funding

With 62 satellites successfully launched to date, the company plans to ... imagery, while nations seeking full control can deploy their own turnkey ...

Dec 8,2025
India's largest Open Natural Ecosystem (ONE) Maps explorer launched | Research Matters

By utilising high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor India's vast Open Natural Ecosystems, the tool provides the first comprehensive counter ...

Dec 8,2025
All 12 Nuri-deployed cube satellites establish ground communication

The main satellite established communication with South Korea's King Sejong Station in Antarctica shortly after the rocket launch. Researchers perform ...

Dec 8,2025
Satellite pollution may spoil 95% space telescope images: NASA study - NewsBytes

... satellite launches and brightness. Companies such as SpaceX are testing darker coatings and visors for their satellites, but real solutions will ...

Dec 8,2025
Melbourne startup Akula Tech lays off 70% of staff months after satellite launch

... satellite launch. ... “Our team has built an AI engine that can run in orbit, analyse complex data like hyperspectral imagery, and deliver insights with ...

Dec 8,2025
Iceye secures EUR 200 million as high-profile investors pile in - XYZ

With on-demand satellite imagery, governments and intelligence agencies ... To date, Iceye has launched 62 satellites into orbit and plans to ...

Dec 8,2025
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says - WVIA

... satellites" planned to be launched into orbit. Between 2018 and 2021, when there were fewer satellites in orbit, about 4% of Hubble Space ...

Dec 8,2025
SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit - Yahoo News Canada

In a news release, SpaceX said the satellites were launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at the Vandenberg Space Force Base ...

Dec 8,2025
Stellar Space Industries takes aim at Very Low Earth Orbit - IO+

Stellar has other ideas about these differentiators: ultra-high resolution imaging, lower launch costs, high maneuverability, and “resilient and ...

Dec 8,2025
SpaceX to launch Starlink mission from Florida coast - ClickOrlando.com

Twenty-nine Starlink satellites will take a ride to low-Earth orbit during what will by the relevant first-stage booster's 32nd flight. (The first- ...

Dec 8,2025
1 Growth Stock Down 27% to Buy Right Now - The Globe and Mail

... launches, while Rocket Lab focuses on small-satellite launches). Where ... Image source: Getty Images. However, according to its third ...

Dec 8,2025
What was the loudest sound ever recorded? - Live Science

Maxar overview satellite imagery shows the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano ... (That's even louder than the launch of the Saturn V rocket ...

Dec 8,2025
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Sunday morning - KSBY

The mission will deliver 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. After stage separation, the rocket's first stage booster landed on a droneship ...

Dec 8,2025
Azerbaijan has launched it's first-ever student satellite | Markets Insider

The PocketQube satellite, created by 7th–9th grade students under the SPACE Academy of Azercosmos, was launched into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falco.

Dec 8,2025
HSI
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)