Gladys West: The Mathematician Who Laid the Groundwork for GPS
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
Dr. Gladys West was a pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology. Known as a “hidden figure”, she played a pivotal role in mapping satellite paths which helped create accurate models of the Earth; that technology is still embedded in today’s world including global commerce, aviation, and everyday navigation.
Early Beginnings
West was born in 1930 in Virginia, USA, and spent most of her childhood working on her family’s farm. As the daughter of farmers who also worked jobs in a tobacco factory and on the railroads, West was determined to create a better life for herself with a strong will to attend college. To her, she saw education as her way to a different life.
Education offered West a way out. In 1948, West graduated as valedictorian and earned a scholarship to study mathematics at Virginia State College (now known as Virginia State University), a Historically Black College in Ettrick, Virginia.
“When she learned that the top senior in high school was guaranteed a scholarship to college, she was motivated to earn that spot and successfully became the valedictorian of her class.”
The Maths Behind the GPS
After graduating in 1955, West taught mathematics and science in segregated schools in Virginia, and in the same year, President Eisenhower banned racial discrimination in Federal hiring practices. This opened the door for African Americans to being hired by Federal agencies. While surrounding communities were still segregated (dormitory housing on naval grounds was a necessity for Black employees), West credits her manager, Roger Niemann, for opening the doors at Dahlgren to Black mathematicians.
“Niemann believed that recruiting women and minorities into the workforce was one way to bring in people with very strong skills who may have been overlooked elsewhere. At a time when so many were overlooking those who looked like me, Niemann gave me a chance, the chance of a lifetime.”
Dr. Gladys West, It Began with a Dream
In 1956, West joined Dahlgren’s US Naval Proving Ground (now known as the Naval Surface Warfare Centre) where she became the second Black woman hired as a programmer at the base, and just one of four Black employees overall. Her mathematical abilities coupled with her strong work ethic positioned her to tackle the complex problems being explored at Dahlgren while navigating an environment where racial and gender barriers persisted. She eventually went on to work there for 42 years.
West’s work precedes her. In the early 1960s, she participated in an award-winning astronomical study that proved the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune. From the mid-1970s through to the 1980s, she programmed the IBM 7030 computer (also known as Stretch), to deliver increasingly refined calculations for an extremely accurate model of the Earth’s shape. This was then optimised for what became the GPS orbit used by satellites today.
Hidden Figure No More
Like other Black women who carried out pivotal work in science and maths during the Cold War, most of West’s brilliance went unrecognised for decades. It’s not until the last ten years that her contributions began to receive the public acknowledgement they deserved. From inspiring a new generation through 2016’s Hidden Figures to her 2018 induction into the military’s Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, West has been given the long overdue flowers she rightfully earned. In 2023, she also became the first woman to earn the Prince Phillip Medal from the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering.
With her passing on the 17th January 2026, the world lost a quiet giant whose work reshaped how humanity understands and navigates the planet. Once overlooked, Dr. Gladys West leaves behind a legacy firmly etched into both technological progress and history itself. She’s no longer a hidden figure, but a lasting symbol of brilliance, perseverance and overdue recognition.
Comments