Network centric windowing system for integration and display of visual data from networked sources

A system for rendering, as a single image, source data from a network of data providers, the system comprising:

• at least one display device;
• and
• a computer having processing circuitry and a memory, wherein
• the memory maintains a composition space, the composition space containing
• two-dimensional (2D) display surfaces to which the source data is provided from the data providers, and
• at least one transformation operator surface, which is located at a different position in a depth direction than the 2D display surfaces, the at least one transformation operator surface representing a respective visual transformation operation on surfaces of the 2D display surfaces that are positioned at lesser depths than the transformation operator surface, and
• the processing circuitry is configured to
• publish, to subscribers, an update to at least one of the 2D display surfaces within the composition space, the update including the source data from at least one of the data providers being provided to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces,
• subscribe to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces,
• upon detecting an update to a subscribed 2D display surface, render the at least one subscribed 2D display surface as the single image by performing the at least one visual transformation operation on the at least one 2D display surface and choose the single image, and
• the at least one display device is configured to display the single image,
• wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
• publish, to the subscribers, the update including the source data from the at least one of the data providers, including:
• receiving the source data from the at least one of the data providers as data of a respective data type, the data types received from the data providers including one or more of text, vector graphics, byte stream, compressed or uncompressed video, medical device data, time series, waveform, electronic patient records, and vital-signs,
• detecting a respective data type of the source data received from at least one of the data providers, the respective data type being one of the one or more data types, and
• rendering a part of the source data to the subscribed 2D display surface into an image by converting the respective data type of the source data into a data type of the image.

A method for rendering, as a single image, source data from a network of data providers, wherein the method is performed in a system having processing circuitry and a memory, the method comprising:

• maintaining, in the memory, a composition space containing
• two-dimensional (2D) display surfaces to which the source data is provided from the data providers, and
• at least one transformation operator surface located at a different position in a depth direction than the 2D display surfaces, the at least one transformation operator surface representing a respective visual transformation operation on 2D display surfaces positioned at lesser depths than the transformation operator surface, wherein at least one of the 2D display surfaces is positioned at a greater depth than the transformation operator surface and not subject to the visual transformation operation;
• publishing, to subscribers by the processor circuitry, an update to at least one of the 2D display surfaces within the composition space, the update including the source data from at least one of the data providers being provided to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• subscribing, by the processor circuitry, to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• upon detecting an update to a subscribed 2D display surface, rendering the at least one subscribed 2D display surface as the single image by performing the at least one visual transformation operation on the at least one subscribed 2D display surface when the subscribed 2D display surface is positioned at the lesser depth, and choosing the single image;
• and
• displaying, by at least one display device, the single image.

A method rendering, as a single image, source data from a network of data providers, wherein the method is performed in a system having processing circuitry and a memory, the method comprising:

• maintaining, in the memory, a composition space containing
• two-dimensional (2D) display surfaces to which the source data is provided from the data providers, and
• at least one transformation operator surface located at a different position in a depth direction than the 2D display surfaces, the at least one transformation operator surface representing a respective visual transformation operation on 2D display surfaces positioned at lesser depths than the transformation operator surface;
• publishing, to subscribers by the processor circuitry, an update to at least one of the 2D display surfaces within the composition space, the update including the source data from at least one of the data providers being provided to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• subscribing, by the processor circuitry, to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• upon detecting an update to a subscribed 2D display surface, rendering the at least one subscribed 2D display surface as the single image by performing the at least one visual transformation operation on the at least one 2D display surface and choosing the single image;
• and
• displaying, by at least one display device, the single image,
• wherein the publishing, to the subscribers, the update including the source data from the at least one of the data providers further includes
• receiving from the at least one of the data providers source data of a respective data type,
• the data types received from the data providers include one or more of text, vector graphics, byte stream, compressed or uncompressed video, medical device data, time series, waveform, electronic patient records, vital-signs,
• detecting a respective data type of the source data received from at least one of the data providers, the respective data type being one of the one or more data types, and
• rendering a part of the source data to the subscribed 2D display surface into an image by converting the respective data type of the source data into a data type of the image.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions, which when executed by a system having processing circuitry performs a method for rendering, as a single image, source data from a network of data providers, the method comprising:

• maintaining, in the storage medium, a composition space containing
• two-dimensional (2D) display surfaces to which the source data is provided from the data providers, and
• at least one transformation operator surface located at a different position in a depth direction than the 2D display surfaces, wherein the at least one transformation operator surface represents a respective visual transformation operation on 2D display surfaces positioned at lesser depths than the transformation operator surface, wherein at least one of the 2D display surfaces is positioned at a greater depth than the transformation operator surface, and not subject to the visual transformation operation;
• publishing, to subscribers, an update to at least one of the 2D display surfaces within the composition space, the update including the source data from at least one of the data providers being provided to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• subscribing to the at least one of the 2D display surfaces;
• upon detecting an update to a subscribed 2D display surface, rendering the at least one subscribed 2D display surface as the single image by performing the at least one visual transformation operation on the at least one subscribed 2D display surface when the subscribed 2D display surface is positioned at the lesser depth,
• and choosing the single image;
• and
• displaying, by at least one display device, the single image.