The project's primary data derived from an online survey, which was distributed to ICT companies in the Ballarat region (refer Appendix 3 for a copy of this instrument). The major purpose of this survey was to identify priority areas for the future development of Ballarat's ICT industry and to assess the region's current ICT resources and capabilities. The survey instrument consisted of three sections:

The sample frame for the survey consisted of approximately 100 ICT companies based in the Ballarat region. Each company was initially invited by letter and e-mail to participate in the study during November 2006. Three reminder emails were sent to each member over an eight-week period. The final response rate to the survey was 23 percent. The Project Team also identified 22 entities within the sample frame that were either no longer in operation or servicing the Ballarat area. The major findings from the study are presented in Chapter 5 of this Strategy (page 38).

Secondary data relating to ICT trends and developments on a local, state, national and global level were obtained through analysis of existing strategies, publications and industry research. The data was primarily sourced from public policy, industry associations, industry statistics, scholarly publications and research undertaken during the initial phase of the Ballarat ICT Cluster project. This process ensured that the Ballarat ICT strategy was developed in context with the strategies of other regions and global ICT trends and developments. This process also enabled the Project Team to identify potential drivers for a successful Ballarat ICT 2030 strategy.