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StrokeIt

A MinneHack ’25 for rival neighborhoods to graffiti public art digitally

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