After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

BC government makes "Report-a-weed" app

Want to report an invasive weed? There's an app for that. Photo of blue weed by Spirae Herbs.

Anyone with a smartphone can now help stop the spread of invasive plants in BC, thanks to an innovative application developed by Hipwood Digital, the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

The "Report-a-Weed BC" app is free to download and is available for both iPhones and Android phones. The easy-to-use interface allows users to submit reports on invasive plant sightings anywhere in BC, upload photos of plants they find, and view previously logged sightings on a Google map. Invasive plants are plants that are not native to a particular ecosystem.

They have the potential to displace long-established native species and cause significant economic or environmental damage. They also may reduce biodiversity, increase soil erosion, alter soil chemistry and adversely affect commercial crops.

The Report-a-Weed BC app allows users to:

  • Browse through a list of invasive plants (searchable by the plant's common name, Latin name or flower colour) or scroll through a photo library of known invasive plants.
  • Attach their own photos of suspected invasive plants or attach a photo of one of 202 listed species.
  • View an interactive map of BC that displays details about the 500 most recent submissions.
  • Use the app online or offline (in areas with no cell phone coverage, users can click "Submit" as usual and the report will be sent as soon as cell coverage resumes).

Invasive plant specialists from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations will review all reports submitted through the smartphone app and co-ordinate any necessary follow-up activity with regional weed committees, local governments and landowners.

Regional weed committees, the Invasive Species Council of BC, governments and stakeholders work together to raise public awareness of invasive plants, survey existing populations and treat high- priority sites to control their spread.

The involvement of smartphone users will assist landowners and invasive plant managers with early detection and rapid response efforts, and enhance their knowledge of how invasive plant species are distributed in BC. 

More in Technology

Gee-Whizzery

SIGGRAPH 2018: Virtual circus comes to town
Chris Priebe and Karen Olsson of Community Sift

British Columbia tech firm guards virtual worlds from cyberbullies

VANCOUVER — As online communities come under the attack of cyberbullies, racist speech and spam, a British Columbia tech firm has developed technology to keep the trolls under the bridge. Community...

B.C. tests remote undersea glider to prevent whale-ship collisions

VICTORIA — A remote undersea glider equipped with acoustic sensors is patrolling deep water canyons off the west coast of Vancouver Island in a bid to set up a traffic alert system to prevent large...
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.