CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute

What CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute does

CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute (CUNY CREST Institute) is a university research institute hosted at The City College of New York within the City University of New York (CUNY) public system. Founded around 2014 and operating under five strategic pillars (Research & Applications, Education & Training, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, International Collaboration, and Community Resilience & Stakeholder Engagement), the institute conducts remote sensing, Earth system science, and applied AI/ML research targeting climate resilience, urban flooding, water resources, carbon dynamics, and snow cover monitoring. Core technical assets include the New York Urban Hydro-meteorological Testbed (NY-uHMT) of 20+ autonomous weather stations across NYC boroughs, a 24+ station solar-powered weather network across eight Indian states, a high-resolution multi-decadal global snow cover dataset (4km resolution, 1987-present), radar-based flood inundation mapping, and AI-integrated Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) reanalysis models. The institute also operates the UNU Hub at CCNY-R-SIRUS jointly with the United Nations University and the Bronx Community College Geospatial Center (BGCCCI), and has expanded into autonomous systems and embodied AI research via its Computer Science faculty.

The institute's product portfolio includes the HIRES high school workforce development program, the UNU Hub R-SIRUS research program, urban flood modeling and prediction services, a solar-powered weather station network deployed internationally, and a five-day professional development workshop on Digital Earth and AI for Sustainability. The institute does not sell products commercially; instead, it operates a grant-funded revenue model drawing primarily from federal agencies (NSF, NASA, NOAA, DOE), U.S. State Department international programs, the U.S. Department of Education fellowship programs, and collaborative funding from university partners and international bodies. Pricing is not applicable in the commercial sense, as research outputs are delivered without charge; fellowships, scholarships, and internships are provided at no cost to students.

CUNY CREST serves academic and research institutions (University of Puerto Rico, University of the Virgin Islands, NYU, University at Albany, Worcester Polytechnic Institute), government agencies (NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Rise to Resilience Coalition, federal funding partners), and nonprofit organizations (Waterfront Alliance, MobilizeGreen). Customer-facing activities include climate adaptation research, flood modeling, extreme weather forecasting, community resilience solutions, education, and international collaboration. The institute has no traditional shareholders; it is governed as a public academic research center under CUNY/CCNY, with leadership consisting of an Executive Director (Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi), Deputy Director (Dr. Shakila Merchant), and an External Advisory Board.

Name

CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute

Legal name

CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute

Website

https://crest.cuny.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CUNY CREST Institute is a university research center at City College of New York (CUNY) that conducts remote sensing, Earth system science, and AI-integrated research on climate resilience, urban flooding, and environmental monitoring, serving federal agencies, academic institutions, and international partners through grant-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth System Science Research

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Space Research and Technology (92711)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAAAG

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Public Research Universities

Keywords

• Earth system science research
• Remote sensing analytics
• Climate resilience research
• Urban flood modeling
• Geospatial education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: Primary funding from federal agencies including NSF, NASA, NOAA, DOE through competitive research grant applications for sponsored projects in Earth system sciences, climate resilience, and water resources
2. U.S. State Department Funding: International collaboration funding through programs like the IDEAS Grant supporting study abroad and global sustainability initiatives
3. Fellowship Programs: Educational programs providing fellowships, scholarships, and internship opportunities to students in Earth system sciences
4. University Partnerships: Collaborative funding arrangements with CUNY institutions, partner universities, and international academic bodies for joint research initiatives

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CUNY CREST Institute is a university research, education, and outreach institute at The City College of New York that conducts research in remote sensing, Earth system science, and environmental applications. It operates observational infrastructure such as the New York Urban Hydro-meteorological Testbed (NY-uHMT) weather station network, develops AI-driven flood and precipitation forecasting models, and delivers workforce development and fellowship programs including the HIRES high school initiative. Funding is derived primarily from federal research grants awarded by agencies such as NSF, NASA, NOAA, and DOE.

Product overview

CUNY CREST Institute operates as a research, education, and outreach institute at City College of New York focused on remote sensing, Earth system science, and technology innovation to support sustainable development and resilience. The institute offers a portfolio of programs including the HIRES high school initiative, UNU Hub R-SIRUS research hub, autonomous systems and AI research, NY-uHMT weather station network, urban flood modeling services, and professional development workshops. These offerings are organized around five strategic pillars: Research & Applications, Education & Training, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, International Collaboration, and Community Resilience & Stakeholder Engagement. The institute functions as an academic research organization rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HIRES (High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences) A summer program providing hands-on technical training, mentorship from CCNY faculty, and college-level research opportunities in Earth System Sciences and Environmental Engineering for high school students in the NY metropolitan region.
• UNU Hub at CCNY-R-SIRUS (Remote Sensing for Sustainable Innovations and Resilient Urban Systems) A United Nations University Hub hosted at CCNY that advances sustainable and resilient urban systems through remote sensing, climate science, and AI research, education, and global partnerships.
• Professional Development Workshop in Digital Earth and AI for Sustainability A five-day professional development workshop providing hands-on experience with satellite remote sensing data, AI/ML techniques, open-science workflows, and capstone projects addressing real-world sustainability challenges.
• NY-uHMT Urban Hydro-meteorological Data and Flash Flood Guidance Service Real-time urban meteorological and hydrological data products and Flash Flood Guidance/Hazard Warning outputs derived from a network of 20 autonomous weather stations across NYC boroughs, made available to emergency managers, city agencies, and research collaborators.
• Urban Flood Modeling and Inundation Mapping Service Research service providing high-resolution radar-based rainfall data analysis, watershed-scale hydrologic modeling, and flood inundation mapping for flood risk assessment, FEMA flood mapping gap-filling, and climate adaptation planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• High-resolution flood inundation maps for FEMA flood mapping coverage gaps
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, flagship, regional, national and global.

• MobilizeGreenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025University partnership providing students access to professional development seminars, micro-credentials, and green job sites with paid sustainability internships
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Ongoing research funding and mission partnerships including Dr. Maria Tzortziou's $2.3M carbon dynamics grants and Dr. Johnny Luo's NASA airborne mission leadership
• United Nations University (UNU) Hub at CCNY-R-SIRUSflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerR-SIRUS (Remote Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems) is a UN University Hub co-directed by Dr. Reza Khanbilvardi, conducting joint research on water management, sustainability, and urban resilience with global UN partnerships
• United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Kaveh Madani serves as Director of UNU-INWEH, enabling collaborative global water research and policy engagement through UN platforms
• University of the Virgin IslandsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in Caribbean Collaborative Action Network (CCAN) focused on flood resilience and climate adaptation for Puerto Rico and USVI
• University of Puerto RicoregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with UPR campuses in San Juan and Mayagüez on flood modeling and watershed studies for Puerto Rico
• Stony Brook UniversityregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in HyperFACETS storyline on Urban Flooding in Northeast Corridor alongside PNNL and NCAR
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL)nationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in DOE-funded HyperFACETS consortium providing climate modeling expertise for urban flooding studies
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)nationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner providing atmospheric and climate modeling capabilities for regional flooding research
• UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic CommissionglobalStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsement of FORTE mission as UN Ocean Decade Project, integrating NASA research into global ocean decade initiatives
• NOAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA CREST Center partnership providing satellite data, research collaboration, and NOAA CESSRST fellowship programs for student training
• Bronx Community CollegeregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Bronx Community College Geospatial Center celebrating a decade of geospatial innovation and AI applications
• G77 and Emerging PartnersglobalStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in G77 Ministerial Roundtable on sustainable financing for gender equality at UN CSW70
• Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)globalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite House priority initiative where Dr. Devineni spoke on extreme precipitation and flood trends in Quad Space Working Group

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia Climate School): Columbia University's earth science research arm based in New York, with overlapping climate, ocean, and atmospheric research. Comparable as a major NYC-based academic research observatory with federal grant funding and international partnerships.
• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS): NASA's NYC-based climate modeling research center, also located in New York and partnering with NASA Earth Science. Comparable as a public-sector research institute focused on remote sensing, climate modeling, and Earth system science.
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Federally funded research and development center for atmospheric and earth system science. Direct collaborator on HyperFACETS but also a comparable large-scale atmospheric research organization with similar federal funding model and modeling focus.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UC San Diego): One of the oldest and largest oceanographic and earth science research centers at UC San Diego. Comparable as a major academic research institution with atmospheric, ocean, and climate science focus and federal grant dependence.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – Atmospheric Sciences: DOE national lab with major atmospheric and climate research programs. Direct collaborator on HyperFACETS and comparable as a federally funded research center with overlapping climate modeling and urban flooding research.

Emerging players

• Earth Genome Project: Nonprofit applying data science and environmental monitoring to climate and water challenges. Comparable as a smaller, mission-driven nonprofit applying remote sensing and data analytics to climate resilience and environmental justice.

Direct peers

• United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH): UN water research institute directed by Dr. Kaveh Madani (also at CREST). Direct peer and partner in water resources, climate adaptation, and global water security research with shared personnel and overlapping mandate.
• Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES at Princeton): NOAA-funded cooperative institute at Princeton focused on Earth system modeling and weather prediction. Comparable as a university-based NOAA cooperative institute with federal funding, modeling focus, and overlapping climate-research scope.
• Woodwell Climate Research Center: Independent climate research nonprofit focused on climate impacts, carbon cycle, and water resources. Comparable as a non-university research organization applying Earth system science to climate adaptation and water resource management.

Others

• Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI): Academic consortium supporting water science research and infrastructure across U.S. universities. Comparable as a university-networked research organization focused on water resources, hydrology, and Earth system science with shared NSF and federal funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cuny-remote-sensing-earth-system-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute