The GRAFFOLUTION consortium met on 30 April in Brussels at the EC premises for the first periodic review of the project.

Currently half way on the project timeframe, the first 12 months have served to elaborate a fine scientific research on illegal graffiti (vandalism), providing the views of involved stakeholders and their perspectives, experiences, challenges.

The initial findings point to insufficient illegal graffiti categorisation models, lack of a wide overview on the prevention methods and best practices, enabling the stakeholders to communicate and collaborate. The research also found that there is a lack of comparable, consistent, and ready to use data, specific to graffiti or illegal graffiti.

These results will allow the project to develop the planned actions for the second period (April 2015 – March 2016) aiming to:

• Empower national and pan-European stakeholders to collaborate and share their knowledge to adjust graffiti vandalism prevention strategies based on reliable data and approved best practices.
• Strengthen the awareness on impacts of illegal spraying activities on individuals and the community as well as offer legal alternatives for free creative expression of graffiti writers.
• Support decision makers on a local and European level to initiate effective actions against graffiti vandalism to sustainable enhance security, reduce costs and improve living environments.

Recalling the main objectives of the GRAFFOLUTION project towards the attainment of these aims, the Consortium partners within their tasks, are:

• Conducting research on graffiti vandalism in public areas and transport, and identifying relevant stakeholders, roles and processes.
• Analysing initiatives, measures, technical methods and best practices against graffiti vandalism in Europe and survey of requirements of all affected stakeholders.
• Developing concepts and solutions against illegal graffiti by designing a web-based awareness and prevention framework (toolbox concept) for stakeholders and the public.
• Developing a Collaborative Knowledge Base for local experts and affected stakeholders to improve the exchange of know-how and support decision makers at European level.
• Providing an Open Information Hub adopting social media technologies to increase awareness among sprayers and citizens by presenting information and visuals.

Overall, the European Commission Project Officer and Reviewer were satisfied with the project current status, having provided very positive feedback.

The project now will enter the phase of demonstration and instruction attempts towards the end users of Graffolution. The end user partners (including UIC) will test the demonstrator Graffolution platform with a representative group of prospective users – including both the Demonstration Partners and some of the Expert Advisory Board – so that the final offer can best meet their needs.

Each round of user feedback will inform iterative development so that negative aspects are mitigated and user requirements are met.
Accessible instruction and training materials will also be tested developed with input from users, e.g. OpenWalls pilot with Islington demonstration partner

All of that will be presented in December 2015 at the GRAFFOLUTION “Inked In” conference in London.