The atlas was developed as part of the Integrated Risk Governance Project under the Future Earth and International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP). Its primary achievement is bridging the gap between isolated regional studies and global risk awareness.
The atlas leverages the "Disaster-System Theory" to analyze risk. This methodology posits that a disaster does not occur strictly because of a hazard, but due to the intersection of three specific pillars: How the Atlas Measures It World atlas of natural disaster risk
It moves away from "single-hazard" approaches. By assessing a country's risk against all 11 hazards at once, policymakers can view true compound risk. The atlas was developed as part of the