One method of drought monitoring that has a lot of advantages is remote reflective measuring. The main objective of this research was to examine the impact of drought on vegetation cover in Ilam City and to evaluate the relationship between the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Normalized Vegetation Differential Index (NDVI). In this study, the NDVI and the SPI are used to investigate vegetation cover and climate conditions, respectively. In order to estimate the SPI, monthly and annual rainfalls of thirteen synoptic stations of Ilam city in a statistical period of 14 years (1985 to 2014) were collected. The results of this study showed that the values of SPI ranged from − 1.02 to 0.14, indicating normal conditions. The highest SPI value was observed in the earliest year, while the lowest SPI value was observed in the most recent year. The results indicated a substantial decline in the excellent vegetation area, underscoring the necessity for implementing new policies in Ilam to safeguard vegetation areas in the face of urban and economic development.
