Dr. Gladys West, GPS Pioneer and Mathematical Genius, Passes Away at 95

On January 20, 2026, the world lost a quiet giant in science: Dr. Gladys Mae West, the African American mathematician whose mathematical models of Earth's shape and gravitational variations were instrumental in the development of GPS (Global Positioning System). She was 95.Born in 1930 in rural Virginia during the Great Depression, Dr. West grew up on a farm where she quickly realized education was her path out of sharecropping. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Virginia State University (then Virginia State College) in 1952, followed by a master's in mathematics in 1955. In 1956, she became one of only a handful of Black women hired by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (then Naval Weapons Laboratory) in Virginia.There, she spent 42 years as a mathematician and programmer, rising to project manager. Her most significant contribution came in the 1960s–1980s when she developed highly precise mathematical models of Earth's geoid—the irregular shape of the planet due to gravity variations—and orbital paths for satellites. These calculations were critical for the Navy's Transit satellite navigation system, the precursor to GPS. Without her work on averaging satellite height data and refining geodetic models, GPS would not achieve the meter-level accuracy we rely on today.Dr. West programmed early IBM and UNIVAC computers—massive machines that filled entire rooms—and was one of the first to use them for large-scale orbital analysis. She overcame racism, sexism, and limited resources, often working alone on complex computations that laid groundwork for satellite navigation, weather forecasting, and missile guidance.Her contributions remained largely unknown until the 2010s. In 2018, she was inducted into the Air Force Hall of Fame for her GPS work. In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate from Virginia State University. In 2021, she was inducted into the National Society of Black Engineers Hall of Fame. She published her memoir, It All Started with a Dot, in 2020, sharing her journey and inspiring future generations of STEM students.Dr. West is survived by her family and a legacy that touches every smartphone, car, plane, and delivery drone worldwide.At digital8hub.com, we celebrate STEM pioneers, Black history in science, technology milestones, mathematics & computing, and inspirational stories. For more on hidden figures in tech, women in STEM, or tools that build on GPS (navigation apps, AR, autonomous systems), explore our guides on tech trends, career development, and balanced living.Rest in power, Dr. Gladys West. Your "dot" changed the world.