The CRISPER app was developed by researchers at the Australian National University and the University of Queensland and launched on Thursday for desktop and smartphones.

Project lead ANU Professor Colleen Lau said the app provides accurate, reliable and "spatially explicit" real-time information on COVID-19.

"It is nice and visual and on a map compared to just getting a list of locations so it is much easier for people," Professor Lau told AAP.

"You can zoom in to where you live or work and see if there are any (exposure site) locations near you."

The researchers currently use publicly available post-code level data to create a national database of cases, deaths, testing, and contact tracing alert locations.

The app was not funded, created or endorsed by any government but it uses data from health departments across Australia on health advice and exposure sites, dates and times.

Professor Lau said the app updates around every hour and was more "user friendly" than trying to keep tabs on the COVID-19 alerts for each suburb, state and territory every day.

CRISPER also provides a national summaries dashboard, an interactive mapping tool for NSW and users can set up automatic alerts for certain locations.

Lau said while the project was designed for the general public, as a former GP she knew how helpful it would be for health professionals.

"GPs are very busy so [with the app] they can see what is happening around their clinic and know if they have a patient coming in with symptoms whether there is an exposure site nearby," Professor Lau said.

ANU epidemiologist Dr Meru Sheel said the app was a "one stop shop" to review exposure sites and it would help epidemiologists understand transmission patterns.

Australian Associated Press