The data warehouse—an effort to merge and centralize data for NCARB systems in one convenient location—is how we can definitively and objectively answer some of the most general questions regarding the pathway to licensure and the profession. Over the last two years, the Council has been compiling information from its various sources to identify trends within the profession. In FY13, as a result of the examination vendor change, the Council was able to incorporate examination data to the warehouse for the first time. NCARB By the Numbers is an example of how we are compiling, displaying, evaluating, and sharing some of the data related to licensure available to us through our data warehouse systems.

“We’re very excited to provide these services, but the data we have access to is inherently limited to those architects and interns who hold an NCARB Record,” said NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong. “This only represents a portion of the architectural community and limits the amount and the kind of value that we can provide to our Member Boards and profession.”

Compiling the knowledge of our Member Boards

“Nobody currently has a complete data picture of the profession. Our Member Boards, as the key organizations in the regulation of the profession, are essential in creating a robust and usable data warehouse,” said NCARB Information System Director Guillermo Ortiz de Zárate. “Creating a centralized data warehouse will allow us to create a major resource for all of Member Boards to manage credentials as well as give us a tool to analyze major trends of the profession.”

In FY13, three jurisdictions shared data with the Council as part of a pilot program. Some of the long-term goals of this project are to:

●  Create a comprehensive national disciplinary database

●  Be able to share and receive data between NCARB and its Member Boards, assuring that all parties have current contact information

●  Compare information across jurisdictions