Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell will launch the Southern Tablelands Weed Spotter website and smartphone app on Thursday, allowing the public and professionals to gather intelligence for weed control.

The government spends about $2 million annually fighting weeds. Serrated tussock, blackberries and African lovegrass are the worst, damaging native flora and grazing land, harbouring pests and adding to the bushfire risk.

Mr Corbell said information would be stored on a public, Google Maps-based interface hosted by the Atlas of Living Australia website.

Atlas of Living Australia provides infrastructure for recording, visualising, aggregating and analysing biodiversity data.

Its business analyst, Peter Brenton, says the new app allows community and professional operators in weeds management to work together to highlight new outbreaks.

“A sighting might be submitted from the public, maybe not even knowing what it is,’’ Mr Brenton said.

‘’It could be something that hasn’t occurred in the area before or it is on a suspect list for invasive potential. It might not be in a reserve area which is being managed.

‘’The people who are managing those reserves can be alerted that a new sighting has been submitted.

“This is actually empowering the public to become involved in the process and could potentially allow for things that haven’t been seen before in areas to be alerted early enough to be effectively treated.’’

Once invasive weeds get a foothold in an area they are difficult to manage and eradicate.

Shire councils, catchment groups and the ACT government collaborated to establish the app and its website.

Mr Corbell said the new smartphone applications would allow land and park carers, farmers and government agencies to upload information to help document and map weeds and weed control efforts.

“As the ACT government moves towards a digital Canberra, initiatives such as Weed Spotter applications are a fantastic example of how better data collection and management can improve the ACT environment and assist Canberrans who care for it,’’ Mr Corbell said.