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.

Capella Space Active RF
Capella Space Active RF
the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes
the CIC encourages partnerships, increases data accessibility, integrates app development, and facilitates the creation of transition-ready prototypes

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
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
Trump: Iran regime change 'would be the best thing to ever happen' - BBC News

Iran fortifies underground complex near nuclear site, satellite images show. Published. 1 day ago. Satellite image shows tunnel entrances. Top stories.

Feb 14,2026
Are lasers the future of anti-drone warfare? | Weapons News | Al Jazeera

... intelligence. Published On 11 Feb 202611 Feb 2026. This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs. Why was El Paso airspace shut down ...

Feb 14,2026
China Leaks U.S. Air Defence Positions To Iran; Sat Images Capture THAAD Deployment In Mideast

Chinese commercial satellite imagery has revealed the deployment of a U.S. Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at Jordan's ...

Feb 14,2026
Europe's Weather Satellite Delivers Stunning Earth Views - video Dailymotion

00:12Europe's latest weather satellite, the Meteosat third generation imager,. 00:17has just delivered its first image. 00:20But before we reveal it ...

Feb 14,2026
China expands Africa space ties with new satellite ground station in Namibia

The facilities it builds can provide satellite imagery and scientific data, while Chinese technicians often maintain a long-term operational presence.

Feb 14,2026
99% of Florida is in a drought, and one city's rainfall shows how dry it's been - AccuWeather

Satellite imagery showed “cloud streets” forming off the Florida coast on Feb. 1 as Arctic air moved south. The rare bands of clouds occur when ...

Feb 14,2026
5 maps that will change the way you see the world - Financial Times

... imagery has also become a key tool for journalists. SERBIA. 1960: KH-1 CORONA spy satellite, 12m/pixel, image declassified in 1995. Vračev Gaj ...

Feb 14,2026
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 13, 2026 - 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 ...

Feb 14,2026
U.S. Patriot Air Defence Positions Near Iran Exposed in New Chinese Satellite Imagery

The publication of Chinese commercial satellite imagery has exposed the exact positioning of U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot air defence systems at the ...

Feb 14,2026
Can Artificial Intelligence and Satellites Replace On-Site Nuclear Inspections? | APT

... intelligence and satellite imagery to monitor nuclear activity remotely. AI systems could analyze high-resolution satellite images to detect ...

Feb 14,2026
Water flows through weather worn rocks. USDA Forest Service courtesy photo by Danielle Goreczny.

NPS Map: Satellite image showing aerial view of I-26 bridge with closure depicted. #NPS #BlueRidgeParkway #Safety. 5. 1 comment. 6 shares. Like.

Feb 14,2026
Exclusive: US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran operations | Reuters

A satellite image shows the USS Gerald R. Ford off the coast of St Thomas. 8 hours ago Middle Eastcategory · Iraq hopes some Islamic State detainees ...

Feb 14,2026
Satellite signatures of the NASA/SpaceX Crew 12 launch

In spite of an oblique satellite viewing angle, many of the same signatures were seen in 1-minute GOES-18 (GOES-West) imagery (below). 16-panel ...

Feb 14,2026
Sidus Space, Simera Sense Forge Hyperspectral Earth Observation Partnership

BusinessImagingdefensespacehyperspectralpayloadartificial intelligenceEarth observationsatellitecamerasOpticsAmericasSidus SpaceSimera Sense.

Feb 14,2026
US moving second carrier to Middle East as Iran tensions build - World - DAWN.COM

A satellite image shows the USS Gerald R. Ford off the coast of St ...

Feb 14,2026
Pentagon used Anthropic's Claude during Maduro raid - Axios

Anthropic is currently in tense discussions with the Pentagon about whether to loosen guardrails when its models are being used by the military.

Feb 14,2026
Iran sends Jaam-e-Jame 1 satellite into space - Tehran Times

A geosynchronous satellite is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, with ... The agency's chief further said the Raad 2 satellite, with an imaging ...

Feb 14,2026
Trusted Applications of Geospatial AI for Agriculture - Esri

... intelligence and geospatial analytics. Anyone who has ... satellite imagery, and farm management systems—to be efficiently combined and analyzed.

Feb 14,2026
Sidus Space partners with Simera Sense to enable real-time satellite data processing

Sidus Space partners with Simera Sense to enable real-time satellite data processing. Hyperspectral imaging captures light across many wavelengths, ...

Feb 14,2026
Ukraine struck $100 million Russian Nebo-U radar system in occupied Crimea, General Staff claims

... satellite imagery showing a closer and differnt view of dragons teeth and trenches along the beach just west of Yevpatoria, Crimea. (Satellite ...

Feb 14,2026
Satellite Launches
Space domain awareness, autonomous satellites, data centres in orbit - AI opens up brave new world

... imagery data it collects from satellites. "I think artificial ... "Being able to just put GPUs and compute on satellites and launch quite ...

Feb 14,2026
Stoke Space expands Series D funding to $860M to drive Nova launch development

Rocket Lab conducts second Electron mission in eight days to orbit Korean imaging satellite. Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 30, 2026. Rocket Lab ...

Feb 14,2026
SpaceX said to weigh dual-class IPO shares to empower Musk - Fortune

The US rocket and satellite maker is also in the process of adding ... “Launch could drive SpaceX's biggest gains in 2026, with Falcon ...

Feb 14,2026
Falcon 9 launch of 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg SFB scheduled for Saturday

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (KEYT) – A Falcon 9 launch of 24 Starlink satellites destined for low-Earth orbit is scheduled from Vandenberg ...

Feb 14,2026
Satellite signatures of the NASA/SpaceX Crew 12 launch

By Scott Bachmeier • 13 February 2026. 16-panel display of 30-second GOES-19 images from all 16 ABI spectral bands, from 1014-1020 UTC on 13 ...

Feb 14,2026
EU project to rival Starlink must meet buyer expectations, Eutelsat CEO says | Reuters

Starlink satellites launch from Cape Canaveral. The SpaceX Falcon 9 ... Musk's AI chatbot Grok gains US market share amid sexualized images backlash, ...

Feb 14,2026
ArianeGroup marks Ariane 64 debut with Amazon Leo satellites - SatellitePro ME

Arianespace has launched 32 Amazon Leo satellites aboard an Ariane 64 ... Sidus Space and Simera Sense to develop next-gen hyperspectral imaging ...

Feb 14,2026
Is SpaceX bringing Mr. Burns' goal to bear? - SDxCentral

– Getty Images. I keep my head pointed down for the most part so ... SpaceX wants to launch more satellites into space? Wake me up when it's ...

Feb 14,2026
Satellite Images Reveal New Construction Near Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility | Originals - YouTube

US vs Iran: Satellite Images Reveal New Construction Near Iran's ... WATCH: Russia Launches Massive Proton-M Rocket: Elektro-L No. 5 Space ...

Feb 14,2026
NASA SpaceX Crew-12 Launches to International Space Station - YouTube

Russian Proton rocket launches weather satellite from snow covered Kazakhstan ... Real Images Of Venus Show That Something Is Seriously Off With ...

Feb 14,2026
SpaceX Crew-12 mission latest news: Dragon capsule reaches orbit with ISS astronauts

... satellites, each representing one of the crew. The Gaia Earth ... It will launch from SpaceX's pad at Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape ...

Feb 14,2026
SpaceX's Plan for 1 Million Satellites Faces Light Pollution Backlash | PCMag

... Images Group via Getty Images). DarkSky is also urging ... Sending up one million satellites is expected to require thousands of rocket launches ...

Feb 14,2026
The New Ariane 64 with 4 P120C Boosters Successfully Launches Amazon Leo Satellites

COLLEFERRO, IT / ACCESS Newswire / February 13, 2026 / The European launcher Ariane 6 successfully completed its flight from French Guiana, ...

Feb 14,2026
A Course Correction for Pakistan's Space Ambitions - The Diplomat

... Imaging Satellite), launched in October 2025. To the average observer, it might just seem like just another Earth observation satellite equipped ...

Feb 14,2026
Axiom Space Raises $350M, in a Mix of Equity and Debt - Via Satellite

Connectivity Arianespace Launches 32 Amazon Leo Satellites in First Ariane 64 Mission · Imagery and Sensing The Compression Company Announces $3.4M ...

Feb 14,2026
Meet the 10 Startups Set to Pitch Their Companies in Startup Space 2026 - Via Satellite

Esper Satellite Imagery, GoKnown, Satlyt, OrbitArch, Planetary ... As more satellites are launched into space and reach the end of their ...

Feb 14,2026
Astronauts launch from Cape Canaveral to the ISS for 8-month mission - YouTube

Real Images Of Venus Show That Something Is Seriously Off With ... Russian Proton rocket launches weather satellite from snow covered Kazakhstan.

Feb 14,2026
Namibia receives China-aided satellite ground station to boost space capabilities - Xinhua

Steenkamp noted that the facility will serve as a strategic national asset, providing independent, high-resolution imagery ... China's commercial rocket ...

Feb 14,2026
Musk sets sights on data center megaconstellation, but is it possible? - Astronomy Magazine

On Jan. 30, SpaceX filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to launch up to 1 million satellites for a megaconstellation of ...

Feb 14,2026
Iran sends Jaam-e-Jame 1 satellite into space - Tehran Times

The agency's chief further said the Raad 2 satellite, with an imaging ... Related News. First images received from Iran's newly launched Paya satellite ...

Feb 14,2026
EO-MSI
Amazon Leo Hints It'll Open Satellite Internet Tech to Third-Party Antennas | PCMag

That's not enough to meet an FCC deadline for the satellite constellation, so Amazon has asked for an extension. ... Legion Go Review · NordVPN Review ...

Feb 14,2026
Europe's most powerful rocket carries 32 satellites for Amazon Leo network into space

BlackSky expands Gen 3 Assured deals with new defense customer · Muon Space ramps up multi-mission satellite constellations · ESA member states back ...

Feb 14,2026
ERUPTION AT 20260213/0514Z FL090 EXTD WNW REPORTED OBS VA DTG: 13/0510Z

Satellite image ... isi gullies. Crater glow was visible to the naked eye. Plume(s) rose to ...

Feb 14,2026
Ukraine struck $100 million Russian Nebo-U radar system in occupied Crimea, General Staff claims

... Maxar satellite imagery showing a closer and differnt view of dragons ... In Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian forces struck a logistics warehouse near Selydove ...

Feb 14,2026
Ukraine's Drone Strike Triggers First Major Russian Refinery Shutdown of 2026 - UNITED24

... satellite imagery released on February 12. ... Soldiers attend the 2nd International Legion training as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Lyman,.

Feb 14,2026
Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Constellation, Microsoft and Quanta Services

Wall Street dove into the largest U.S. nuclear power plant operator because it's a best-in-class way to play the nascent nuclear energy revival. CEG's ...

Feb 14,2026
Pakistan Successfully Launches Second Indigenous Electro-Optical Satellite | Dunya BOL Hai

... satellite launch | EO-2 satellite | SUPARCO achievement | earth observation data ... Neo News | J191W. Talk Shows Central by DRM•268 watching.

Feb 14,2026
BlackSky's Gen-3 Constellation: Building the Real-Time Space Infrastructure Layer - AInvest

BlackSky is not just selling satellite images. It is building the fundamental infrastructure layer for real-time space intelligence, ...

Feb 14,2026
Assessing AXA (ENXTPA:CS) Valuation As Satellite Data Partnership Refines Disaster Risk Tools

Satellite partnership puts AXA's disaster risk tools in focus AXA ... OOO97 on Neo Performance Materials · about 1 month ago. Undervalued Key ...

Feb 14,2026
International legions integrated into Ukrainian assault units | UA.NEWS

The international legions within the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not been disbanded. Instead, they have been integrated into the assault units of ...

Feb 14,2026
SAR
Eos Energy (EOSE) Is Down 9.8% After Major Shareholder Fully Exits Position Despite ...

... Eos shares, despite the company reporting record quarterly ... Swedens Constellation Software. Fair Value:SEK 316.8923.3% undervalued. 1 ...

Feb 14,2026
LABOR NEWS—Agencies instructed to implement EOs terminating federal employees ...

... Satellite, Data, and Information Service; the International Trade Administration; the Office of the Commissioner for Patents and subordinate units ...

Feb 14,2026
World War II Drama 'Battle of Oslo' Sells Wide for Global Constellation (EXCLUSIVE)

More from Variety. (L-R) Maria Paz Eberhard (APCT-CinemaChile), Gabriela Sandoval (CinemaChile · Chile Selected as Guest Country of Honor at Mexico's ...

Feb 14,2026
Umbra to hire 100-plus employees, expand to new Reston office - The Business Journals

Umbra develops spacecraft that provide high‑resolution radar satellite imagery and custom satellite‑mission services that let organizations ...

Feb 14,2026
AXA DCP partners with Planet Labs for near-real-time disaster monitoring - Yahoo Finance

... satellite operator ICEYE to integrate synthetic aperture radar imagery into the platform's monitoring services. ICEYE's data will be used to track ...

Feb 14,2026
Find the Twins: Gemini Constellation - NASA Science

... constellation, Auriga. The stars of Auriga rise before Gemini's, and its brightest star, Capella, doesn't pair up as strikingly with its second ...

Feb 14,2026
Neupulse raise 3 million for delivery of neurotherapeutic technology | Startups Magazine

The round was led by Eos Advisory and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, through appointed fund manager Mercia Ventures, with participation from ...

Feb 14,2026
Space Technology Company Umbra to Invest $6.75 Million to Establish Operations in Fairfax County

Umbra's next-level accuracy and agility are powered by the company's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation, which is capable of ...

Feb 14,2026
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)