ABSTRACT
In every large project, and with every complex policy problem, there is a need to integrate a variety of information: environmental, social, economic, engineering, and other types. This requires not only an understanding of the important social, environmental, economic and physical factors, but also the need to establish some relative value as to the importance of each factor in the selection of a preferred alternative. A cross-disciplinary perspective involves an essentially unified view on research or activity which stems from a variety of disciplines. A multi-disciplinary approach involves individual researchers active in exploring a common problem based on their particular area of expertise, but with little interrelationship among the researchers. An interdisciplinary approach, on the other hand, involves a common view underlying the component analyses, that is, a shared framework providing a systematic linkage among parts of an assessment. This can be called "integrated impact assessment".
