"Cooperative Ore Resource Information Services", or CORIS is an independent organization funded by all five major governments with a board made up of volunteers from every member mining corporation. The group's primary goal involves administrating and publishing the MOSS catalog, injesting new surveys, and operating their own survey system to both resurvey old systems and promote the discovery of new and rarer resources through the use of more advanced technology.
CORIS was formed as a strategic move by the Lyndri government to stop human expansion. As part of the ratification of the Confederacy, the Lyndri (with support of the NorAellians) pushed for an independant group to help regulate the surveying and mining operations going on outside of the major government's spaces. It was, at the time, a cut-throat business where stealing someone's survey before they could sell it was often more lucrative (and safer) than more traditional forms of piracy.
CORIS was formed, funded by all 5 major governments, with the top three mining coporations forming the board. The Lyndri state owned mining corporation, New Horizons Mining and Industrial being the first chair, and it being up to a vote every 10 years. So far, NHMI has maintained the chair all but a single cycle.
Membership in CORIS is open to anyone willing to pay a 25,000 credit yearly membership fee (dropped to 5,000 credits for organizations with under 10 employees) and who has at least one active claim producing at least 1,000 tonnes of ore in the last twelve months as well as at least one mining license from one of the five major governments.
The organization has come under fire for these restrictions, saying that by not recognizing mining licenses given by local governments (particularly independent colonies) they shut out dozens of legitimate mining groups. The official response has been:
"We continue to make the MOSS catalog freely available and membership does not give any tangible advantage to members over a non-members. While a non-profit, CORIS is not a charity and will not be operated as such."
This only sparked further backlash, which the group has ignored.
Currently CORIS is working with CNK to develop more accurate and more sensitive survey equipment and experimenting with automated survey drones as well as more advanced survey ships.
Additionally, CORIS runs a survey program called 'BEACON', 'Broad Enhancements to Accuracy in Cosmic Observations and Networking' that they encourage survey groups to join; giving them incentives on the price they will buy surveys from them on, assuming they meet the BEACON standards.