Proposal language¶
Paragraphs to adapt. Replace [bracketed text] and cut what does not apply. Confirm all organizational descriptions, roles and commitments with GeoALS before submission. Descriptions of GeoALS tools reflect the GeoALS website as of 12 November 2026.
About GeoALS · Role in the project · Approach · Expert pool · Facilities and resources · Data management · Community engagement · Privacy
About GeoALS¶
Mission, based on the mission statement on the GeoALS website
GeoALS uses geographic information systems (GIS) to improve care, accelerate research, and advocate for the ALS community.
Tools
GeoALS maintains the ALS Geospatial Hub, which brings together data from federal agencies, research institutions and nonprofit organizations by geography; the ALS Clinic Advisor, a locator and community review system for ALS and motor neuron disease clinics; and the Glen Rouse ALS Legislative Viewer, which reports each member of Congress's support for ALS policy. Its maps are built by the Mappers, a volunteer group of GIS professionals, ALS researchers and advocates.
Use an organizational description reviewed by GeoALS for the application. Background on the organization is on the GeoALS website.
Research experience
GeoALS has provided geographic analysis to research partners including the CDC National ALS Registry, where it mapped self-enrolled survey data to study access to clinical trials, common lived locations and under-reported communities; the ALS Therapy Development Institute, where it has studied the place history of natural history study participants and patterns of recruitment; and the Team Gleason Foundation, where it identified communities most in need of services.
Role in the project¶
Subaward
GeoALS will lead [Aim X / the geographic component of Aim X] under a subaward from [Applicant Organization]. GeoALS will [geocode and link / map / analyze] [data], deliver [deliverables], and take part in [monthly] project meetings. The GeoALS lead for this project reports to the Principal Investigator for the scope described.
Consultant
[Applicant Organization] will engage a consultant from the GeoALS expert pool with expertise in [area] for approximately [N] hours per year to [advise on design / review analyses / produce maps].
Fee-for-service
GeoALS will produce [a map series / an interactive dashboard / a geocoding and linkage run] under a services agreement, according to the attached quote and schedule.
Expert-led training¶
GeOALS experts will provide [N] training sessions on [ArcGIS StoryMaps / GIS fundamentals / environmental data linkage / other topic] for [audience]. Instruction will use [public or synthetic data] and combine demonstrations, guided practice and feedback. Participants will develop [a draft StoryMap / map / linkage plan]. The team will assess learning through [a practical exercise, completed product and participant feedback] and provide [materials or follow-up support] for continued use.
For a StoryMaps workshop, specify the intended audience for the story, its sources, accessibility review and publication review. See Training with GeOALS.
Approach paragraphs¶
Access to care
We will measure geographic access to multidisciplinary ALS care using the GeoALS clinic database, which is maintained with national and international ALS organizations. For each [participant / census tract] we will calculate travel time by road to the nearest clinic and describe how access varies by [rurality / region / other characteristic]. Results will be reported for areas, with small counts suppressed.
Recruitment and representativeness
To assess how well enrollment reflects the population affected, GeoALS will compare the residential distribution of participants with [reference distribution, for example registry or population-based estimates] at the [state / county] level, and will identify areas where enrollment is lower than expected. Findings will guide outreach during the enrollment period.
Residential history and environmental context
Participants' residential histories will be geocoded within [the lead institution's secure environment]. GeoALS will design and document the linkage of each residence period to open environmental and neighborhood data sets, producing person-period variables for analysis. The linkage code and a data dictionary will be published so that other cohorts can repeat the method. No addresses or coordinates will leave the secure environment.
Standards
Location history and linked environmental variables will be stored using the OMOP Common Data Model with the extension tables developed by the OHDSI GIS working group, and coded with open ontologies where terms exist. Where a needed term is missing, the team will submit a request to the relevant ontology so that the work benefits later studies.
Dissemination through maps
Findings will be shared with the ALS community through an interactive story map and dashboard on the ALS Geospatial Hub, written in plain language and reviewed by people living with ALS before release.
Expert pool¶
Use only when a consulting arrangement has been confirmed.
The project will engage [named contributors or confirmed consulting team] with expertise in [areas]. Their responsibilities will include [tasks], with [hours or effort] budgeted for this work.
Facilities and resources¶
GeoALS's public tools are built on the ArcGIS platform, including ArcGIS Online for hosted data and web maps, ArcGIS Hub for public sites, ArcGIS Experience Builder and ArcGIS Dashboards for applications, ArcGIS Survey123 for data collection, and ArcGIS StoryMaps for narrative reporting. The ALS Geospatial Hub hosts GeoALS's public maps, data layers and applications, including a clinic database covering the United States and other countries. For projects that involve identifiable data, GeoALS personnel will work inside the lead institution's secure computing environment under that institution's agreements, and no identifiable data will be stored on GeoALS systems.
Data management and sharing¶
Non-identifying geographic products from this project, including aggregated map layers, methods and code, will be shared through the ALS Geospatial Hub and [repository] under [license] within [period] of publication. Layers will be published with metadata describing source, date, geographic unit and coordinate reference system, and in open formats. Addresses, coordinates and any geographic unit that could identify a participant will not be shared. Counts below [threshold] will be suppressed in all public products.
Community engagement¶
GeoALS will bring the perspective of people living with ALS and their caregivers to the project. Community members will review [survey instruments / maps / plain-language summaries] for clarity, relevance and accessibility, including usability with eye-gaze technology. Community reviewers will be compensated for their time.
Human subjects and privacy¶
Home addresses and coordinates derived from them are treated as direct identifiers. Geocoding will take place within the secure environment of the institution holding the data. GeoALS personnel who need access to study information will be listed by the institution's institutional review board (IRB) as approved study personnel. Analysts will work with derived variables wherever the research question allows, and all maps and tables will be reviewed by a person for disclosure risk before release.