There are two primary elements in AIRDR’s approach:

1. To document and critically assess the existing published scientific literature on integrated disaster risk.

Questions to be considered include:

• How has integrated research been constituted and organised?
• What kinds of research qualify as integrated research on disaster risk?

2. To identify the strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and opportunities for new knowledge and investments.

Questions to be considered include:

• What is known well within the research community in terms of capacity, technology, tools, methodologies, and translation of findings to actions?
• What evidence is there to support such strength in understanding?
• What is less well-known in the research?
• Where do the shortcomings come from, e.g. perils studied, regional understanding, spatial or temporal coverage of topics?
• Where are the gaps in our empirical understanding of disaster risk where strategic investments could be made?
• How do we identify what is not now known through our research but needs to be known?
• What new opportunities are available for learning from the co-production of knowledge to further enhance integrative research?
• What barriers impede integrative research and how might these be overcome?