She also noted that, in many instances, certain partnerships already exist between government and business and that these could be utilized as a vehicle for promoting mitigation. Unfortunately, businesses are typically unaware of any public resources that are available to assist them, including hazard maps showing risk and vulnerability, and other geographic information systems data. Carrido offered a regional model for identifying business exposures but emphasized that, because each community is unique, the approach should be flexible. Kathleen Tierney opened her discussion by asking how we can use research as a tool for getting businesses involved and how its results can be used to improve business mitigation. Finally, Tierney explained a number of unknowns that could be enhanced by further research.
Some research indicates that the outcomes are about the same but further study is needed.