A system, method and computer readable medium to render, as a single image, source data from a network of data providers, that provide source data of a respective data type. A composition space contains two-dimensional (2D) display surfaces to which the source data is provided from the data providers, and transformation operator surfaces, which are located at different positions in a depth direction than the 2D display surfaces. Each of the transformation operator surfaces represent a respective visual transformation operation on surfaces of the 2D display surfaces that are positioned at lesser depths than the transformation operator surface. Using data-centric communication, updates are published to the 2D display surfaces, the updates including the source data from the data providers, and, upon detecting an update to a subscribed 2D display surface, the subscribed 2D display surface is rendered as the single image by performing the visual transformation operations.