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
Satellite Imagery Shows Snow Melting in Kentucky and Louisiana - The Daily Telegraph

Satellite imagery captured by the GOES-19 satellite, operated by CIRA at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ...

Dec 13,2025
Satellite Imagery Shows Snow Melting in Kentucky and Louisiana - Yahoo

... Satellite imagery captured by the GOES-19 satellite, operated by CIRA at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ...

Dec 13,2025
Cuba denounces US seizure of oil tanker off Venezuela's coast as 'piracy' - The Guardian

A satellite image of the Skipper oil tanker, north of ...

Dec 13,2025
Kongsberg, Helsing Target 2029 for Sovereign European IST Constellation - SatNews

“Europe's security depends on sovereign sensing and intelligence,” Dörre said. “By combining Norway's satellite expertise with Hensoldt's advanced SAR ...

Dec 13,2025
Pasadena - Facebook

Facebook. May be an image of map, road and text that says 'Map Satellite Av. Pasadena Now. 13 hours ago · 󰟠. Photos. Pasadena Power Outage That Left ...

Dec 13,2025
Nvidia Chip on Satellite in Orbit Trains First AI Model in Space

FB · Artificial Intelligence Ethics. Ground Control to AI Tom. Nvidia Chip on Satellite in Orbit Trains First AI Model in Space. "Anything you can do ...

Dec 13,2025
Sara Rodriguez on the 2026 primary for governor of Wisconsin

David Crowley on the 2026 primary for governor of Wisconsin · A still image shows Kelda Roys seated on the 'Here & Now' satellite set · Elections ...

Dec 13,2025
Satellite Monitoring: Airbus' Solution to Sustainable Cocoa

The technology uses satellite imagery to monitor agricultural supply chains and provide data on changes to forest cover. It delivers accurate and ...

Dec 13,2025
Is China testing submarine drones that could threaten US west coast or Panama Canal?

However, some clues have been gleaned from satellite imagery, eyewitness photographs and a builder's concept model displayed at a defence exhibition, ...

Dec 13,2025
Hun Manet urges Anwar and Trump to help halt border clashes, wants satellite proof of who fired first

... Joint Declaration, proposing the use of US and Malaysian satellite imagery to transparently determine which side opened fire on December 7.

Dec 13,2025
Satellite images show huge fog formation haunting central California - The Guardian

... image in fullscreen. California satellite imagery in late autumn of fog stretching about 400 miles. Photograph: NASA. The National Weather Service ...

Dec 13,2025
Chicago weather: Light snow expected, dangerous wind chills to follow this weekend

Satellite imagery late Friday showed scattered flurries across northern Illinois, with more persistent snow stretching from Iowa into the Dakotas ...

Dec 13,2025
US forces stormed cargo ship travelling from China to Iran: Report - Al Jazeera

A satellite image shows the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Skipper, which British. US slaps sanctions on Maduro family, Venezuelan tankers: What ...

Dec 13,2025
Selecting Ground Control Points for Orthorectification of Satellite Imagery : r/remotesensing

Hi everyone - I am new to Reddit. I have been a part of the commercial satellite imagery world since 2007 where I started working as a customer ...

Dec 13,2025
U.S. Reps. Hurd, Neguse advance bill in Congress to update snowpack monitoring ...

The Colorado lawmakers' bill would incorporate modern technology like LiDAR and satellite imagery ... Hurd and Neguse's bill incorporates modern ...

Dec 13,2025
The Year in News - The Continent | Substack

What remains: A satellite image from October showing smoke from fires near El Fasher Airport. (Photo: Handout/Satellite image. CM: The abrupt ...

Dec 13,2025
Developing Remote Sensing Capabilities for Meter-scale Sea Ice Properties

An increasing array of higher resolution commercial satellite assets ... Collecting imagery of the sea ice using these assets and applying this imagery ...

Dec 13,2025
Widespread land surface cooling from paddy rice cultivation revealed by global satellite mapping

Petitjean, F., Inglada, J. & Gancarski, P. Satellite Image Time Series Analysis Under Time Warping. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 50, 3081–3095 ...

Dec 13,2025
Joint Meeting of ICIS and ORMIS: From Oman to the World: Defining New Horizons in ...

The Joint Meeting of ICIS and ORMIS: From Oman to the World: Defining New Horizons in Medical Imaging is an in-person satellite event scheduled ...

Dec 13,2025
Meet HYDRIS: The Satellite-Powered Breakthrough in Flood Risk Intelligence - Geofem

Discover more about Geofem's satellite-powered next generation soil moisture model - a breakthrough in flood risk intelligence.

Dec 13,2025
Satellite Launches
Florida rocket launch, see the next SpaceX launch from West Palm Beach

SpaceX plans to send a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, Dec. 14. Rockets here launch from ...

Dec 13,2025
Space Brief 13 Dec 2025 - KeepTrack

🛰️Satellite Spotlight · Satellite Name: IRIDIUM 149 · NORAD ID: 43250 · Launch Date: March 30, 2018 · Mission: The IRIDIUM 149 satellite is part of the ...

Dec 13,2025
Is China testing submarine drones that could threaten US west coast or Panama Canal?

However, some clues have been gleaned from satellite imagery ... launched missiles; another that could carry up to eight special operations ...

Dec 13,2025
The 10 Most Expensive Satellites Currently In Orbit - BGR

Most notably, this is the first dual-frequency radar-imaging satellite ... The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 is a satellite launched by NASA to monitor ...

Dec 13,2025
Satellite images show huge fog formation haunting central California - The Guardian

New Nasa satellite images reveal the scope of central California's dreary December, caused by an enormous fog formation that has been haunting the ...

Dec 13,2025
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk Are Competing in New Race to Build AI Data Centers in Space: Report

We are nearing that point,” Will Marshall, co-founder of satellite imaging company Planet Labs, told the Journal. In November, Google announced that ...

Dec 13,2025
New rocket set to debut soon, launch six satellites - Chinadaily.com.cn

The launch mission will occur at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and is intended to test the overall ...

Dec 13,2025
FAA Launches $32.5 Billion Overhaul of U.S. Air Traffic Control System—What to Know

Daniel Garrido/Getty Images ... Eventually, the agency said it will add more than 5,000 new high-speed network connections on fiber, satellite ...

Dec 13,2025
Florida rocket launch, watch the next SpaceX launch from Daytona Beach

SpaceX plans to send a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, Dec. 14. Though rockets here launch ...

Dec 13,2025
F-15EX Eagle - Boeing

Space. ESC. Exploring what's possible in the future of space and satellite technology. Space Home · United Launch Alliance. opens in a new tab. CST- ...

Dec 13,2025
Global Space Award winners 2025: Playmakers, innovators, and science breakthroughs

(Image credit: Photo by Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Global Space Awards.) ... CAS Space's Kinetica-1 rocket launches two technical experiment ...

Dec 13,2025
Florida rocket launches, how to watch the next SpaceX launch this weekend - Florida Today

The mission will carry 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. Depending on weather, the launch may be visible from the Daytona area all ...

Dec 13,2025
Rocket launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida, may be seen in Fort Myers, Naples

ULA provided a helpful graphic (see above) that shows the Atlas V launch of Amazon Leo satellites and its intended flight path and launch visibility.

Dec 13,2025
ASEAN to Deploy Observers, U.S. Satellites as Border Fighting Defies Ceasefire Pledges

According to Anwar, information gathered through satellite imagery and field observations will be compiled by the AOT and presented to ASEAN foreign ...

Dec 13,2025
Launch Schedule of MICHIBIKI No. 5, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-5) aboard the 8th ... - JAXA

Get information on the Launch Schedule of MICHIBIKI No. 5, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-5) aboard the 8th H3 Launch Vehicle (H3 F8) ...

Dec 13,2025
Comet Lemmon and Milky Way spotted over Hawaii | Space photo of the day for Dec. 12, 2025

... images · a green fuzzy streak in the night sky. See Comet Lemmon cross ... Satellite trails seen in Hubble Space Telescope images taken between ...

Dec 13,2025
SpaceX Alleges a Chinese-Deployed Satellite Risked Colliding With Starlink

... Images). A SpaceX executive says a satellite deployed from a Chinese ... launch provider CAS Space. “When satellite operators do not share ...

Dec 13,2025
Spacecraft from Chinese launch nearly slammed into Starlink satellite, SpaceX says | Space

... launches 29 Starlink satellites from Florida's Space Coast (video). Latest in Satellites. Satellite trails seen in Hubble Space Telescope images ...

Dec 13,2025
Week in images: 08-12 December 2025 - ESA

Journalists wishing to participate in either or both the pre-launch and launch ... Shine bright like a satellite.

Dec 13,2025
Starcloud runs AI model in space - DCD - Data Center Dynamics

One month after the company launched a satellite with an Nvidia H100 ... Boulder Imaging to deploy AI powered bird monitoring system across Croatian ...

Dec 13,2025
EO-MSI
The 10 Most Expensive Satellites Currently In Orbit - BGR

Each of the stand-alone WorldView satellites has cost Vantor (formerly Maxar) around $750 million each, including launch costs. The Legion class is ...

Dec 13,2025
Satellite Monitoring: Airbus' Solution to Sustainable Cocoa

... satellite imagery at various resolutions ranging from 10m to Pléiades Neo's 30cm resolution. Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence ...

Dec 13,2025
BlackSky Technology enters $100M sales agreement - MSN

BlackSky Technology Inc. operates in the technology industry, focusing on providing geospatial intelligence and satellite imagery services. The ...

Dec 13,2025
Here's how the French government explains its decision to become Eutelsat's largest shareholder

Paris-based Eutelsat is reporting increased use of its 640-satellite OneWeb constellation ... Geospatial constellation operator Satellogic: $90M stock ...

Dec 13,2025
The Maker of the $20K Neo Robot Has a Deal for 10,000 of Its Humanoids - CNET

The Maker of the $20K Neo Robot Has a Deal for 10,000 of Its Humanoids ... Best Satellite Internet Providers. Popular Reviews. ExpressVPN Review.

Dec 13,2025
L3Harris Delivers First Meadowlands Anti-Satellite EW System to the U.S. Space Force

In doing so, it directly undermines hostile reconnaissance, navigation, and communication capabilities during conflict. Read more: Taurus Neo Engine ...

Dec 13,2025
Ancient Death Valley Lake Reappears | NASA Earthdata

Freshly burned areas appear red. Visit Worldview to visualize near real-time imagery and historical imagery from NASA's Earth Science Data and ...

Dec 13,2025
Can BlackSky Technology Stock Hold Up When Markets Turn? - Trefis

The rally reflects optimism around its expanding satellite network, rising defense tech demand, and Project Orbion, but such moves prompt a tougher ...

Dec 13,2025
BlackSky Technology Enters $100M Sales Agreement - TipRanks.com

BlackSky Technology entered a Sales Agreement to sell up to $100 million of its stock. · The agreement may enhance BlackSky's market position by ...

Dec 13,2025
Dazzled by the vision of 1000s of satellites for orbital data centers, Planet gins up prospects ...

Geospatial constellation operator Satellogic: $90M stock offering provides... December 12, 2025. Norway's Kongsberg, Germany's Helsing & Hensoldt ...

Dec 13,2025
Intuitive Machines and Telespazio to collaborate on lunar satellite networks - SpaceNews

The company said in November it may turn to Lanteris Space Systems, the former Maxar Space Systems satellite manufacturer that Intuitive plans to ...

Dec 13,2025
Cobham Satcom and Space42 Redefine L-band Performance with new Portfolio of Thuraya ...

... satellite communications for defense . ... The IP NEO terminals are Comms-on-the-Pause terminals that fit into a backpack; the IP NEO ...

Dec 13,2025
SSA

Questions about Commercial Innovation Center (CIC)