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
US satellite firm 3D-maps one of China's most strategic naval bases

Vantor's impressive satellite imaging capabilities. Advanced satellite imagery makes key military intel accessible from space. Though satellites ...

Dec 8,2025
Scientists just released a map of all 2.75 billion buildings on Earth, in 3D - ZME Science

Compiled from satellite imagery dating back to 2019, the atlas charts exactly where people live and how their buildings rise and spread across the ...

Dec 8,2025
Mapping coastal transformations with a novel Cellular Automata–Markov–Random forest ...

Shoreline change rate dynamics analysis and prediction of future positions using satellite imagery for the Southern Coast of kuwait: A case study.

Dec 8,2025
China boosts surveillance over Spratly Islands, says US think tank - Naval News

... intelligence capabilities in the South China Sea, according to an American think tank. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Asia Maritime ...

Dec 8,2025
Almost Half of Hubble Telescope Images Could be Ruined by Satellite Constellations

The explosive growth in satellite numbers in low Earth orbit is proving problematic for space telescopes ... Simulated telescope image with ...

Dec 8,2025
Who is Edwin Castro? About $2.04 billion Powerball winner in California

The CAL FIRE site provides containment updates, incident maps, maps searchable by address, and satellite imagery. At the time, the CAL FIRE, the ...

Dec 8,2025
World buildings mapped in 3D for the first time - Kazinform

Led by Prof. Xiaoxiang Zhu, the project mapped 2.75 billion structures using satellite imagery from 2019. The dataset surpasses earlier global ...

Dec 8,2025
Satellite Startup ICEYE Raises Funds at $2.8 Billion Valuation as Europe Boosts Defense

ICEYE, a Finnish satellite developer with a number of defense contracts, has raised money at a €2.4 billion ($2.8 billion) valuation, ...

Dec 8,2025
How to Get Satellite Imagery for Free: Complete 2026 Guide - OnGeo Intelligence

Use code ongeo100 on 10 meters satellite image resolutions – limited time only! Higher resolution satellite images remain subject to payment. GO ...

Dec 8,2025
ICEYE and General Catalyst to Transform European Space-based Intelligence - SatNow

ICEYE, the world leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite systems, has secured new financing, led by General Catalyst with broad ...

Dec 8,2025
Daily Report | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Close Image. Daily Report. Dec. 8, 2025. Subscribe to the ... SDA Back on Track to Award Satellite Contracts After Funds Went to Troop Shutdown Pay.

Dec 8,2025
Introduction to the Symposium on Forensic and Counter-Forensic Approaches to International Law

... satellite imagery, open-source intelligence (OSINT), digital modeling or counter-mapping – are reshaping evidentiary practices and redefining ...

Dec 8,2025
3 things to know about Iceye's €150M raise at €2.4B valuation — TFN - Tech Funding News

The team-up with Rheinmetall is designed not only to increase satellite output but also to integrate satellite imagery more deeply into large-scale ...

Dec 8,2025
ROSE-L given the shakes - ESA

A structural model of the upcoming Copernicus Radar Observing System for Europe at L-band satellite, or ROSE-L for short, has recently been put ...

Dec 8,2025
Algeria Signs Two Strategic Agreements with China's Geespace to Boost National Space ...

Expanding Satellite IoT Services Through ATS-Geespace Partnership. ATS, a subsidiary of the Algerian Telecom Group specialising in satellite ...

Dec 8,2025
Astarte Capital Partners on the strength of natural capital as an asset class - Agri Investor

Climate intelligence has improved significantly as well. Satellite data allows us to track climate shifts and anticipate how they will affect growing ...

Dec 8,2025
Poland's PIAST satellite constellation has captured its first image, marking the latest ... - Threads

TVP World (@tvp_world). 28 Views. Poland's PIAST satellite constellation has captured its first image, marking the latest breakthrough for the ...

Dec 8,2025
Poland's PIAST satellite captures first image - TVP World

... commercial satellite data to a NATO nation with its own space-based ... image from the new satellite constellation. “On Saturday, December 6 ...

Dec 8,2025
NASRDA Seeks Partners for Advanced Satellite Development and Testing Facility

NASRDA Seeks Partners for Advanced Satellite Development and Testing Facility ... EgSA Passes Preliminary Design Review for Infrared Thermal Imaging ...

Dec 8,2025
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
Satellite Launches
Poland's PIAST satellite captures first image - TVP World

... satellite constellation. “On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the first historic image taken by a PIAST (Polish ImAging Satellites) satellite was ...

Dec 8,2025
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
iPhone 18 might use Satellites for Connectivity! - Sify

Satellite connectivity was first introduced in 2022 with the launch of iPhone 14. ... Grok's 'Spicy' Feature lets you Generate Sexually Explicit Images ...

Dec 8,2025
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite | Connecticut Public

Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.

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
EO-MSI
US satellite firm 3D-maps one of China's most strategic naval bases

Vantor, formerly known as Maxar Technologies, mapped China's Yulin Naval Base using a new AI-enabled 3D imaging technology.

Dec 8,2025
First Andes Silver Provides Exploration Program Update, Santas Gloria Project, Peru

Phase 1 soil sampling ("Phase 1") has been completed ahead of schedule, and under budget: · WorldView 3 ("WV-3") satellite successfully captured image ...

Dec 8,2025
NeoGenomics highlights myeloid CGP study revealing rare fusions | NEO Stock News

--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NeoGenomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEO), a leading provider of oncology diagnostic solutions that enable precision medicine, ...

Dec 8,2025
TSX Value Picks Including Constellation Software That Investors May Be Undervaluing

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks Based On Cash Flows In Canada ; Topicus.com (TSXV:TOI). CA$125.98. CA$223.31 ; Savaria (TSX:SIS). CA$21.67. CA$35.27 ; Neo ...

Dec 8,2025
Ukraine's Contra Drone develops C-UAS ground robotic system NEO - Unmanned airspace

Pravda reports that Oboronka, a defence industry project created by Mezha.Media, has learned the ground robotic system called NEO is equipped with ...

Dec 8,2025
TotalEnergies merges UK upstream with NEO NEXT+, leading producer | TTE Stock News

... Satellite · Top ... UK: TotalEnergies Merges Its Upstream Business with NEO NEXT, Creating the Largest Independent Oil and Gas Producer in the UK.

Dec 8,2025
SpaceX Launches New Batch of Starlink Satellites From California | Stunning Vandenberg Liftoff

... satellite constellation! #SpaceX #Starlink #Falcon9 #Vandenberg #SpaceLaunch #ElonMusk #SatelliteInternet #Astronomy ... neo•1.1M views.

Dec 8,2025
PCG reports China firing flares at BFAR plane | INQUIRER.net

... SATELLITE IMAGE ©2025 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES. MANILA, Philippines — Chinese forces fired three flares from an island toward a Philippine plane ...

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

Maxar overview satellite imagery shows the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano. The eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai ...

Dec 8,2025
Candlelight: Neo-Soul Favorites ft. Songs by Prince, Childish Gambino, & More

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Honolulu.

Dec 8,2025
SAR
3 things to know about Iceye's €150M raise at €2.4B valuation — TFN - Tech Funding News

Finnish satellite developer Iceye has raised €150 million in a new equity round led by General Catalyst and an additional €50 million secondary ...

Dec 8,2025
Poland's PIAST satellite captures first image - TVP World

... satellite constellation. ... Unlike Poland's MikroSAR satellite project, which is a joint venture with Finnish tech firm ICEYE, the PIAST project is ...

Dec 8,2025
Navy's Frigate Program Revived—In a Limited Capacity - DEFCROS News

... Constellation-class vessels. Challenges in Shipbuilding ... Portugal Procures Iceye SAR Satellite as Company Launches Five Additional Satellites.

Dec 8,2025
ICEYE, Portuguese Air Force announce 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, including ...

Dec 8,2025
Dr Schwer: "No one kills drones like EOS" - Electro Optic Systems

... satellite. This is preferably done from the ground – either stationary or mobile – but can also be done from space in the future, if desired. EOS ...

Dec 8,2025
7NEWS Exclusive: Australia's billion-dollar drone defence system demonstrated

... EOS' Slinger counter-drone remote weapon system part of the demonstration ... Satellite Laser Ranging · Space Sustainability · Precision Optics · WORK ...

Dec 8,2025
Brazil Hosts First Maritime Unmanned Systems Exercise - DEFCROS News

Portugal Procures Iceye SAR Satellite as Company Launches Five Additional Satellites · DEFCROS News - 08/12/2025 0. Acquisition of Synthetic Aperture ...

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

Portugal's Air Force signed with Iceye for its first owned SAR satellite, enhancing maritime security and monitoring capabilities.

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

ICEYE, the world leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite systems announced new financing, led by General Catalyst with broad ...

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

The funding positions Iceye to expand its satellite constellation and solidify its place among the continent's space-tech frontrunners. A major ...

Dec 8,2025
Isro in 2025: From Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 to 100th satellite launch | India News

Key Satellite Missions of 2025 · NVS-02: India's 100th launch from Sriharikota · EOS-09: A rare setback ends PSLV's long success streak · NISAR: The ...

Dec 8,2025
Isro in 2025: From Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 to 100th satellite launch | India News

The launch, however, marked the 100th mission from Sriharikota. EOS-09: A rare setback ends PSLV's long ...

Dec 8,2025
General Catalyst

Their "eyes on ice" project became ICEYE, which now operates the world's largest radar satellite constellation that sees through clouds and darkness ...

Dec 8,2025
HSI
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)