Digital Records for e-Social Science, or 'DReSS' for short, is a Research Node of the ESRC’s National Centre for e-Social Science, which seeks to promote Digital Social Research. DReSS is developing new tools that enable qualitative researchers to exploit traditional audio-visual resources alongside new forms of data gathered within digital environments, such as GPS, WiFi, and other sensor-based data.

The node’s work has resulted in the development of the Digital Replay System, or DRS, a next generation ‘CAQDAS’ tool. Like other CAQDAS tools, DRS enables the synchronisation, replay, and analysis of audio and video recordings. Distinctively, DRS also enables these conventional resources to be combined with data recorded in digital environments. These novel ‘system logs’ index interaction (e.g., by using GPS on mobile phones to plot a user’s route) and even document it (e.g., recording users SMS and audio messages).

Human interaction is increasingly conducted through digital mechanisms, and DReSS provides a suite of tools that support qualitative social research in the 21st Century. DRS is Open Source, it works on Macs and PCs and is free to download and use, just go to the DRS page above.