jl-0 · Oct 8, 2026
diff --git a/docs/architecture/components.md b/docs/architecture/components.md
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ Specialized Mars terrain processing suite:
 
 ### Vicario (Java)
 - **Purpose**: VICAR format conversion (VICAR ↔ standard formats)
-- **Technology**: Java 11 + Java Advanced Imaging
+- **Technology**: Java 17 + Java Advanced Imaging; [NASA-AMMOS/vicario](https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/vicario) from Maven Central
 - **Features**: 
   - Dynamic range rescaling (16-bit → 8-bit)
   - Format support: PNG, JPEG, TIFF (read and write)
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ Base Layer: Oracle Linux 8
     ↓
 Builder Stage: downloads pre-built VICAR + external library releases
     ↓
-Runtime Layer: VICAR binaries (546 commands) + MARS tools (74) + Java + vicario.jar
+Runtime Layer: VICAR binaries (546 commands) + MARS tools (74) + Java + vicario (Maven Central)
     ↓
 Command Wrappers: 546 CLI wrappers generated under /usr/local/bin
     ↓

diff --git a/docs/reference/vicario.md b/docs/reference/vicario.md
@@ -21,31 +21,22 @@ out=output.png` is read as a file literally named `inp=input.vic`, converts
 nothing, and still exits 0. Use the positional form, or pass three or more
 parameters if you want keywords (see [Usage](#usage)).
 
-## Obtaining vicario.jar
+## Obtaining vicario
 
-The image ships a prebuilt `vicario.jar`, so nothing needs to be built to use
-`vicario` through `tig` or the container.
+VicarIO is open source at [NASA-AMMOS/vicario](https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/vicario)
+and published to Maven Central as
+[`gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids:vicario`](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids/vicario).
+The image build resolves it, so nothing needs to be built or downloaded by
+hand to use `vicario` through `tig` or the container.
 
-### Build from Source
-
-The VicarIO source is **not yet public** — there is no repository to clone at
-this time, so building from source is not currently possible outside JPL. When
-source access is available, the build is:
-
-1. Build the FAT JAR (includes all dependencies) in the VicarIO source tree:
-   ```bash
-   mvn -U -Pshade clean install
-   ```
-
-2. Copy the JAR to the Docker build context:
-   ```bash
-   cp target/vicario-*-FAT.jar /path/to/tig/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario.jar
-   ```
+The version is pinned in `terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario/pom.xml`.
+A `vicario` stage in the Dockerfile copies that version and its runtime
+dependencies to `/usr/local/lib/vicario/`, and the `vicario` wrapper runs
+`jpl.mipl.io.jConvertIIO` on that classpath with Java 17. To move to a new
+release, change `version.vicario` in that POM and rebuild the image.
 
 ## Building the Docker Image
 
-Once `vicario.jar` is in place:
-
 ```bash
 cd terrain-intelligence-generator/docker
 docker build -t terrain-intelligence-generator:latest .

diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/README.md b/terrain-intelligence-generator/README.md
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ published on [NASA-AMMOS/VICAR](https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/VICAR) releases,
 plus the Java `vicario` converter.
 
 ```
-docker/Dockerfile          Multi-stage build (builder + runtime)
-docker/vicario.jar         Java VICAR→PNG/JPEG/TIFF converter (see docker/VICARIO.md)
+docker/Dockerfile          Multi-stage build (builder + vicario + runtime)
+docker/vicario/pom.xml     Pins the Java VICAR→PNG/JPEG/TIFF converter from Maven Central (see docker/VICARIO.md)
 builder/Dockerfile         Build environment for compiling VICAR units from source
 builder/vicar-build        vimake + make for one unit, run inside the builder image
 build-opensource-image.sh  Local build, mirrors CI

diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/build-opensource-image.sh b/terrain-intelligence-generator/build-opensource-image.sh
@@ -36,14 +36,9 @@ if [ ! -f "${DOCKER_DIR}/Dockerfile" ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-if [ ! -f "${DOCKER_DIR}/vicario.jar" ]; then
-    echo -e "${RED}ERROR: vicario.jar not found in ${DOCKER_DIR}${NC}"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
 # Build the image
 echo -e "${YELLOW}Building Docker image...${NC}"
-echo "This will download pre-built binaries from GitHub releases."
+echo "This will download pre-built binaries from GitHub releases and vicario from Maven Central."
 echo "Estimated build time: 5-10 minutes (depending on network speed)."
 echo ""
 

diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/Dockerfile b/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -81,7 +81,20 @@
     echo "✓ Cleaned $(du -sh /vicar/external | cut -f1) remaining"
 
 # ============================================================================
-# Stage 2: Runtime - Build final image with only necessary files
+# Stage 2: VicarIO - Resolve the VICAR format converter from Maven Central
+# ============================================================================
+# VicarIO is open source (https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/vicario) and published
+# to Maven Central as gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids:vicario. vicario/pom.xml pins the
+# version; this stage copies it and its runtime dependencies into one directory.
+FROM maven:3.9.9-eclipse-temurin-17 AS vicario
+
+COPY vicario/pom.xml /build/pom.xml
+RUN mvn -B -q -f /build/pom.xml dependency:copy-dependencies \
+        -DincludeScope=runtime -DoutputDirectory=/opt/vicario/lib && \
+    ls /opt/vicario/lib/vicario-*.jar
+
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 3: Runtime - Build final image with only necessary files
 # ============================================================================
 FROM oraclelinux:8
 
@@ -139,8 +152,8 @@
     xauth \
     # Motif runtime
     motif \
-    # Java runtime (Java 11 headless for vicario.jar)
-    java-11-openjdk-headless \
+    # Java runtime for vicario (17: its pds4-jparser dependency targets Java 17)
+    java-17-openjdk-headless \
     # Image processing runtime libraries
     libtiff \
     libpng \
@@ -178,8 +191,8 @@
 COPY --from=builder /vicar/dev ${WORKSPACE}/dev
 COPY --from=builder /vicar/external ${WORKSPACE}/external
 
-# Copy Java vicario JAR and create wrapper script
-COPY --chown=root:root vicario.jar /usr/local/bin/vicario.jar
+# Copy the VicarIO classpath and create wrapper script
+COPY --from=vicario --chown=root:root /opt/vicario/lib /usr/local/lib/vicario
 
 # Shared exit-code translation used by every generated wrapper below
 COPY --chown=root:root vicar-run /usr/local/libexec/vicar-run
@@ -188,7 +201,9 @@
 # Create vicario wrapper script that uses Java in headless mode
 RUN echo '#!/bin/bash' > /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '# vicario wrapper - calls Java vicario in headless mode (no X11 required)' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
-    echo 'VICARIO_JAR="/usr/local/bin/vicario.jar"' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
+    echo 'VICARIO_CP="/usr/local/lib/vicario/*"' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
+    echo '# disableMediaLib: the native mediaLib accelerator is not installed' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
+    echo 'VICARIO_JAVA_OPTS="-Djava.awt.headless=true -Dcom.sun.media.jai.disableMediaLib=true"' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '# Temporary files for filtering output' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo 'TMPOUT=$(mktemp)' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
@@ -203,10 +218,10 @@
     echo '    EXT="${OUT##*.}"' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '    FORMAT=$(echo "$EXT" | tr '"'"'[:upper:]'"'"' '"'"'[:lower:]'"'"')' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '    # Run Java vicario in headless mode' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
-    echo '    java -Djava.awt.headless=true -jar "$VICARIO_JAR" inp="$INP" out="$OUT" format="$FORMAT" oform=byte rescale=true > $TMPOUT 2> $TMPERR' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
+    echo '    java $VICARIO_JAVA_OPTS -cp "$VICARIO_CP" jpl.mipl.io.jConvertIIO inp="$INP" out="$OUT" format="$FORMAT" oform=byte rescale=true > $TMPOUT 2> $TMPERR' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo 'else' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '    # Pass through all arguments as-is' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
-    echo '    java -Djava.awt.headless=true -jar "$VICARIO_JAR" "$@" > $TMPOUT 2> $TMPERR' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
+    echo '    java $VICARIO_JAVA_OPTS -cp "$VICARIO_CP" jpl.mipl.io.jConvertIIO "$@" > $TMPOUT 2> $TMPERR' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo 'fi' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo '' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \
     echo 'EXIT_CODE=$?' >> /usr/local/bin/vicario && \

diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/VICARIO.md b/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/VICARIO.md
@@ -10,31 +10,22 @@ output file exists. In particular, keyword syntax with only two arguments
 (`vicario inp=input.vic out=output.png`) is read positionally and treats
 `inp=input.vic` as a filename; use the positional form for two arguments.
 
-## Obtaining vicario.jar
+## Obtaining vicario
 
-The image ships a prebuilt `vicario.jar`, so nothing needs to be built to use
-`vicario` in the container.
+VicarIO is open source at [NASA-AMMOS/vicario](https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/vicario)
+and published to Maven Central as
+[`gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids:vicario`](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids/vicario).
+The image build resolves it, so nothing needs to be built or downloaded by
+hand to use `vicario` in the container.
 
-### Build from Source
-
-The VicarIO source is **not yet public** — there is no repository to clone at
-this time, so building from source is not currently possible outside JPL. When
-source access is available, the build is:
-
-1. Build the FAT JAR (includes all dependencies) in the VicarIO source tree:
-   ```bash
-   mvn -U -Pshade clean install
-   ```
-
-2. Copy the JAR to the Docker build context:
-   ```bash
-   cp target/vicario-*-FAT.jar /path/to/tig/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario.jar
-   ```
+The version is pinned in `terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario/pom.xml`.
+A `vicario` stage in the Dockerfile copies that version and its runtime
+dependencies to `/usr/local/lib/vicario/`, and the `vicario` wrapper runs
+`jpl.mipl.io.jConvertIIO` on that classpath with Java 17. To move to a new
+release, change `version.vicario` in that POM and rebuild the image.
 
 ## Building the Docker Image
 
-Once `vicario.jar` is in place:
-
 ```bash
 cd terrain-intelligence-generator/docker
 docker build -t terrain-intelligence-generator:latest .

diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario.jar b/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario.jar
diff --git a/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario/pom.xml b/terrain-intelligence-generator/docker/vicario/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!--
+  Resolves the VicarIO converter and its runtime dependencies for the image.
+  VicarIO is open source (https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/vicario) and published
+  to Maven Central; its POM declares the OSGeo and imageio-ext repositories it
+  needs for JAI. The Dockerfile runs:
+
+    mvn dependency:copy-dependencies -DincludeScope=runtime -DoutputDirectory=...
+
+  and the vicario wrapper runs jpl.mipl.io.jConvertIIO on that classpath.
+-->
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+
+    <groupId>gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.tig</groupId>
+    <artifactId>tig-vicario-runtime</artifactId>
+    <version>1.0.0</version>
+    <packaging>pom</packaging>
+
+    <properties>
+        <version.vicario>2.7.2</version.vicario>
+    </properties>
+
+    <dependencies>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>gov.nasa.jpl.ammos.ids</groupId>
+            <artifactId>vicario</artifactId>
+            <version>${version.vicario}</version>
+        </dependency>
+    </dependencies>
+
+    <build>
+        <pluginManagement>
+            <plugins>
+                <plugin>
+                    <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                    <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
+                    <version>3.8.1</version>
+                </plugin>
+            </plugins>
+        </pluginManagement>
+    </build>
+</project>