Smart sniffers snuff graffiti gangs

Beverley Head
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 17:21

IT Industry - Development

Electronic sniffing specialist E-Nose will release Mark 4 of its Graffit-e-nose system shortly - a fully integrated version of the graffiti-busting device which can now be wirelessly connected to closed circuit TV cameras and configured to switch them on as soon as the sniffing device detects spray paints in order to gather evidence for potential court actions.

The system, which has been developed by a team of scientists from CSIRO, UNSW and Sydney University, is still under development and at this stage being hand-built. But Dr Graham Bell, CEO of the spin-off company E-Nose said that now the device is fully integrated its cost will 'drop like a stone' as soon as the company receives a large order from a graffiti'”plagued  organisation such as State Rail.

The company claims the graffiti problem currently costs NSW $100 million a year.

The device, which is mounted in a shoe-box sized housing, can detect spray paint at concentrations measured in parts per million. Early versions of the system were demonstrated on the ABC programme New Inventors and won the viewers' choice award.

Graffit-e-nose has been extensively field tested in a number of local councils, and also very successfully by a Scout troop in Sydney's south. Scott Murray, chairman of the committee of the 1st Alcheringa troop, said that two years ago the scout hall in Miranda was a regular graffiti target and the scouts were spending half of their annual budget on paint to deal with the problem.

A Grafitt-e-nose was fitted, which sent texts to Mr Murray's phone, and eventually to the local police station, when spray paint was detected. Several groups of graffitists were caught in the act - including one duo with 28 cans of spray paint.

For the last five-six months however the Graffit-e-nose has proved its success as a deterrent, and the problem seems to be in abeyance, said Mr Murray.

Mr Bell said that this fourth version of the product would also be available with an internet address to allow remote control of the system. In terms of its sensitivity to spray paint, Mr Bell said 'We are confident it can pick up a four second burst at 40 meters.'

The latest version of the device will be formally released at next month's Security 2011 exhibition in Sydney.