DIRSIG™ Alliance

Overview

 

For over 40 years, the DIRSIG™ software — developed at RIT’s Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing laboratory — has been freely available (beyond a training fee) and trusted by academia, industry, and government for remote sensing simulation.

However, evolving funding landscapes make it unsustainable to maintain and advance DIRSIG™ under the existing model. The DIRSIG™ Alliance is our solution: a membership-based community to support the long-term health, growth, and innovation of the DIRSIG™ ecosystem.

  • Stay current: Receive regular updates, new features, and early access to development builds.
  • Get support: Access dedicated technical channels, training, forums, and priority help.
  • Shape direction: Higher tiers include seats on the Advisory Board and the ability to offer advisory feedback on potential future features.
  • Collaborate & integrate: Work with the DIRSIG team on integrations, get technical assistance, and showcase your work.

In addition, qualifying contract work conducted through RIT or DIRS will earn Alliance membership credits.

  • A free “Cornerstone Edition” of DIRSIG™ will continue to be available to eligible users who complete training, but this edition will be updated once per year with minimal feature additions.
  • Alliance Members gain access to frequent (weekly or quarterly) releases, enhanced support, and development tools via the “Alliance Edition” of DIRSIG™.

A full description of the DIRSIG™ Alliance membership tiers, included services, software editions, and feature availability is presented below ...

DIRSIG Alliance Membership Tiers and Included Services
Membership Tier Annual Fee Included Services
Individual 2,500 USD Access to quarterly releases for a single user.
Support Partner 50,000 USD Access to weekly releases, participation in monthly member meetings (virtual), and recognition on the DIRSIGTM website.
Development Partner 100,000 USD All Support Partner services, plus access to developer SDKs, training materials, and a member-specific support channel in the DIRSIGTM Community Slack.
Integration Partner 175,000 USD All Development Partner services, plus assistance in the integration of DIRSIGTM into a Member product, a Developer Liaison for technical communication, support during the integration process, and website recognition of the Member product.
Leadership Partner 250,000 USD All Integration Partner services, plus a DIRSIGTM Product Manager for customized collaboration, public recognition (press/blog) and advisory board representation.
DIRSIG Software Editions and Feature Availability Across Membership Tiers
Software Edition User Coverage Release Frequency Training Access1 Support Hours New Features2 Derived Products3 Plugin Development4 Software Integration5 Advisory Role6
Cornerstone Edition Individual Yearly Paid 0 ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Alliance Edition                  
Individual  Individual Quarterly Limited 0 ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Support Partner  Organization Weekly Included 0 ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
Development Partner  Organization Weekly Included 0 ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌
Integration Partner  Organization Weekly Included 100 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌
Leadership Partner  Organization Weekly Included 200 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
  1. Free, in-person training for Partner members is limited to 4 attendees per Partner per year and is subject to seat availability in a given session. Once available, access to asynchronous training is unlimited for all Alliance membership tiers.
  2. “New Features” refers to an expansion of the feature set of the DIRSIGTM software. In general, only the Alliance Edition will receive new features and the Cornerstone Edition will not. However, the DIRSIGTM Team reserves the right to integrate any newly developed feature into the Cornerstone Edition to maintain software stability.
  3. “Derived Products” refer to data produced by the model and derived products including data and algorithms trained on data produced by the model. These products can be distributed free of charge at any membership level. However, to charge for derived products, the user and/or organization must be at the Support Partner level or higher.
  4. “Plugin Development” includes access to the DIRSIGTM Software Developer Kit (SDK) and the ability to develop native run-time software plugins that extend the capabilities of the software. Active membership at the Development Partner level or greater is required for plugins to continue to be recognized by the DIRSIGTM software.
  5. “Software Integration” includes integrating the DIRSIGTM software into a software platform that is accessed by untrained DIRSIGTM users for free or at a cost. Active membership at the Integration Partner level or greater is required for integrations of the DIRSIGTM software to continue to be offered.
  6. Members in the Leadership Partner tier will have a seat on the DIRSIGTM Alliance Board of Advisors. Board members will participate in discussions that shape future DIRSIGTM ecosystem development in an advisory fashion.

Rights and permissions discussed here are superseded by explicit definitions defined in the EULA.

Effective January 1, 2026:

  • The free version will be branded “DIRSIG™: Cornerstone Edition”, with annual updates only.
  • The version available to our members becomes the “DIRSIG™: Alliance Edition”, with more frequent updates and full membership benefits.

All users trained in 2025 receive one free year of Individual Alliance membership, starting January 1, 2026.

Q: Weren’t DIRSIG™ updates always free?
A: The free “Cornerstone Edition” will still receive one annual update. Frequent updates and new features are reserved for Alliance members.

Q: What if we drop to a lower membership tier?
A: You’ll retain only the features and support of your current tier. Any privileges granted by a higher tier will be revoked. For example, if you drop below an Integration Partner level, you can no longer distribute a product integrating DIRSIG™.

Q: What happens if we don’t remain enrolled?
A: You lose access to the “Alliance Edition” updates and member benefits. However, you retain access to the free “Cornerstone Edition” with its annual update schedule.

Q: Does this replace contract work?
A: No. The Alliance supplements traditional contracts. We continue to engage in sponsored research and service contracts. As a benefit, contract partners may receive Alliance credits.

Our list of supporting Alliance partners is coming soon. 

To learn more or to explore membership in the Alliance, we invite you to contact us by email or at 585-298-9505.