EthnoAlly is a digital research tool designed for coordinating those multiple acts of “serendipitous ethnography” that can be enacted today in many variable contexts with the help of smartphones. EthnoAlly consists of an application capable of collecting a variety of audio-visual, geolocative and textual materials. It also has an on-line platform; a set of web services, on which such information can be stored, visualized, organized and analysed. It is at once a tool for taking notes and a multimodal diary. It functions as a unique support for innovative participatory practices making it the ideal partner and ‘ally’ of today’s ethnographer with immense possibilities for documentary filmmakers, journalists, artist and other professionals.
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.