Gladys West (1930-): The Hidden Figure Behind GPS

She is still alive! Let's rename GPS to Glady Position System? 😊

This is another case of systemic racism in America! Caution: Irony!

"While working for four decades as a mathematician and computer programmer at the U.S. Naval Proving Ground (now the Naval Surface Warfare Center) in Dahlgren, Va., she prepared the way for a satellite constellation in the sky that became an indispensable part of modern life: the Global Positioning System, or GPS.

The second Black woman to ever work at the proving ground, West led a group of analysts who used satellite sensor data to calculate the shape of the Earth and the orbital routes around it. Her meticulous calculations and programming work established the flight paths now used by GPS satellites ...

For decades, West’s contributions went unacknowledged. But she has begun receiving overdue recognition. In 2018 she was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. In 2021 the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences presented her its Webby Lifetime Achievement Award, while the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering gave her the Prince Philip Medal, the organization’s highest individual honor.

West was presented the 2024 IEEE President’s Award for “mathematical modeling and development of satellite geodesy models that played a pivotal role in the development of the Global Positioning System.” ..."

Gladys West: The Hidden Figure Behind GPS - IEEE Spectrum Her groundbreaking work changed global navigation

Gladys West in the 1980s during her days as a mathematician and computer programmer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, in Dahlgren, Va.