Contribution of geomatic technologies to the analysis of seismic resilience factors: Towards planning resilient territories after the Al Haouz earthquake in Morocco

Center for Doctoral Studies in Architecture and Associated Disciplines, National School of Architecture of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: nada.elmoaden@e.enarabat.ac.ma

Abstract

The earthquake of September 8, 2023, with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck Morocco's High Atlas region, causing severe human and material losses and challenging the perception of Morocco as a moderate seismicity zone. This event underscores the urgent need to integrate seismic risk into territorial planning. A key preliminary step is to identify factors that contribute to territorial seismic resilience. The Al Haouz earthquake revealed significant disparities in impact among provinces, communes, and villages, regardless of their proximity to the epicenter. This research leverages geomatics technologies to analyze site-related factors influencing seismic resilience in the affected provinces of the Marrakech-Safi region. The methodological approach combines a literature review on resilience factors with spatial analysis in a GIS environment, integrating a damage map produced for this study with geospatial datasets describing geological, topographical, and climatic characteristics of the territory. Through overlay analysis and thematic mapping, the study identifies spatial correlations between site conditions and damage patterns. Findings highlight the role of soil properties, slope, forest cover, and other site-specific characteristics in shaping resilience levels. By transforming raw data into spatial knowledge, this research demonstrates how geomatics provides a decision-support framework for anticipatory and resilient territorial planning, contributing to seismic risk mitigation.