Leveraging Cloud Geospatial Technologies for Drought and Fire Risk Monitoring in Moroccan Oases: A Pathway to IoT-Wildfire Based Digital Twin Platforms

Moroccan oases, vital ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions, are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of drought, which severely affect vegetation health and elevate wildfire risks. This study investigates the relationship between drought severity, oasis vegetation vitality, and fire risk across various Moroccan oases. Using satellite remote sensing data, we developed the Aggregated Wildfire Hazard Index (AWHI), which combines the Watershed Integrated Multi-Drought Index (WIMDI), the Vegetation Health Index (VHI), and the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), through Locally Optimized Weighted Aggregation (LOWA), to assess the compounded effects of drought and vegetation stress on fire susceptibility. The results demonstrate a strong inverse correlation between drought intensity and vegetation health, with heightened drought conditions significantly increasing wildfire risk due to accumulated dry biomass and reduced moisture content. Given the particularly high fire risk in the Aoufous oasis, followed by Erfoud-Errissani and Goulmima, the study emphasizes the strategic deployment of IoT-based fire surveillance systems within a wildfire digital twin platform. Our findings highlight the urgent need for adaptive climate resilience measures and advanced fire monitoring strategies to protect these fragile ecosystems from the growing threats of climate change.