A method for sampling of streaming data for distribution on a network (e.g., the Internet) includes receiving the streaming data (which includes periodically updated information items) from a streaming data source. The periodically updated information items of the streaming data are subsequently sampled using a sampling process based on a total update rate of the streaming data (U.sub.a) and a capacity of the network (C), thereby creating a sampled data stream. Alternatively, the periodically updated information items of the streaming data can be sampled using a sampling process that is also based on the importance (K.sub.qmin) of each of the periodically updated information items and the update rate (U.sub.q) of each of the periodically updated information items to create the sampled data stream. The sampled data stream is then distributed on the network (e.g., the Internet or a private area network).