Overview
“StrokeIt” from MinneHack 2025 empowers community art teams to digitally tag each other’s public murals—without paint. Users scan a QR code beside the artwork, then submit a virtual “tag” if they’re within 50 ft of the location.
What It Does
- QR-Triggered Tagging: Scan a code at the mural to open the tagging interface
- Location Enforcement: Only submissions from within a 50 ft radius are accepted
- Drawing Tools: Simple freehand brush and color picker in a mobile web view
- Battle Feed: Real-time leaderboard showing top tags by community votes
- Moderation: Firebase Cloud Function filters out inappropriate content
How We Built It
- Frontend: React Native + React Navigation for mobile flow
- Mapping: Geolocation API to verify proximity
- Data & Auth: Firebase Auth (Google sign-in) and Firestore for tag storage
- Moderation: Cloud Functions with simple keyword blacklist
- Deployment: Vercel for frontend and Firebase Hosting + Functions
Challenges
- Ensuring reliable geolocation within crowded urban environments
- Preventing fake submissions outside the allowed radius
- Building a seamless QR-to-tag user experience under time pressure
Accomplishments
- Rapid prototype delivering location-gated tagging in under 24 hours
- Live feed and voting system enabling friendly competition
- Demonstrated end-to-end geofencing and real-time updates on both iOS and Android
What We Learned
- Integrating device geolocation with React Native
- Real-time data syncing in Firestore
- Hackathon teamwork: division of frontend, backend, and moderation tasks
What’s Next
- Add sticker packs and animated tag effects
- Enhance moderation with image-based AI filters
- Expand into a city-wide public art festival platform