Dr. Gladys West – A Brilliant Mind Behind the Development of GPS
by
John C Abercrombie
Today many people use and rely on GPS to navigate around their neighborhoods and well beyond. But few know of one of the most brilliant minds behind this commonly used application, that of Dr Gladys West.
Born Gladys Mae Brown in Dinwiddie County, Virginia to a sharecropping family she realized at an early age that the best way to escape the hard physically demanding work was to pursue an education. While sharecropping was an honorable occupation, it was rarely entered into with fairness on the part of both parties.
Long hours in the scorching summer sun and cold of winter, enduring weather extremes, most sharecroppers only ended up with more indebtedness to the owner of the land was not the promising future that it should have been.
Gladys was gifted and determined. She saw that the valedictorian and salutatorian of each class were offered scholarships and worked to earn one of those cherished positions and the benefits that it offered.
Her hard work and determination paid off and she graduated first in her class and won one of those coveted scholarships allowing her to study mathematics at Virginia State College (Now University). As opportunities were limited, she taught in the public schools for 2 years before being offered a job at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. She was only the 2nd Black woman ever employed and participated in an astronomical study involving the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune.
While there has been excitement in her work, her home life has been stable and satisfying. She met her husband Ira West at the naval base, and they married in 1957. As the result of this union, they have 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren.
She went on to analyze data from satellites making altimeter models of the Earth’s shape and was recommended as project manager of the Seasat radar altimetry project. Seasat was the first Earth-orbiting satellite for remote sensing of the oceans using the onboard spaceborne monitoring Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The mission was used to demonstrate the feasibility of global satellite monitoring of oceanographic phenomena.
This was based on the first satellite that was able to remotely sense oceans. West was a programmer for large scale computers and a project manager for data-processing systems being used to analyze the satellite data. In 1979 she was recommended or commendation of her work.
In 1986 she published a technical report from NSWC, the Naval Surface Weapons Center on “Data Processing System Specifications for Geosat Satellite Radar Altimeter. Geosat was a US Navy satellite designed to measure surface heights to less than 2 inches.
This guide was published to explain how to increase accuracy of the estimation of topics of satellite geodesy.
The commanding officer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division described her role in developing GPS: “She rose through the ranks, worked on the satellite geodesy and contributed to the accuracy of GPS and measurement of satellite data”
Capt. Godfrey Weekes, then-commanding officer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, described the role played by West in the development of Global Positioning System: “She rose through the ranks, worked on the satellite geodesy and contributed to the accuracy of GPS and the measurement of satellite data.
In broad terms Satellite geodesy is the measurement of the form and dimensions of earth, the location of objects on the surface and the figure of earth’s gravity field using artificial satellite techniques.
The goals of satellite geodesy are to determine the figure of the earth, positioning and navigation, determining of earth’s gravity field and its temporal variations, measurement of such properties as crustal dynamics and polar motions.
West worked for Dahlgren 42 years retiring in 1998.
She completed a PhD with Virginia Tech in 2018.
She was inducted into the United States Air Force Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dr. Gladys is working on her memoirs and it is not in publication at this time. We will post as soon as it is available. In the meantime, you may be interested in the following materials.
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Meet Gladys West: The Mother of the GPS System
Dr. Gladys West, a mathematician who played a major role in the invention of Global Positioning System technology, (GPS), was inducted into the Air Force Hall of Fame this month for her work for the U.S. military in the 1950s and ’60s.
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We have seen the work of Dr West, now the instrumentation that makes it real and useful is here.
Find the devices using our Amazon affiliate link below
ABH – GPS finders and Accessories
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Black Stars:
African American Women Scientists and Inventors Meet African American women of science and invention from the early years to modern Times
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Cell Phones and Accessories
Many people use their cell phones for more than a phone since it is possible to install GPS apps and get benefits of convenience. Find them here using our link below
ABH – cell phones and accessories
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Now for some amazing videos into the life of Dr. Gladys West a brilliant mind behind GPS.
A well laid out plan put to action and the determination to follow it will lead you to success. This is a life lesson for us all.
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SIM Cards and Prepaid Minutes
If you use them, get them here using our Amazon affiliate link below
ABH – SIM Cards and Prepaid Minutes
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Computer Decoder: Dorothy Vaughan, Computer Scientist (Picture Book Biography)
Dorothy Vaughan loved things that made sense―especially numbers! In Computer Decoder: Dorothy Vaughan, Computer Scientist, elementary-aged children follow Dorothy’s journey from math teacher to human computer and beyond, a journey made difficult because she was an African American woman working during a time of segregation. Dorothy worked incredibly hard to meet the challenges that greeted her at every turn and rose to the level of supervisor, the first black supervisor in the history of her company! But another challenge awaited when a mechanical computer threatened to replace the teams of human computers. How will Dorothy figure out this problem?
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Automotive Accessories
One of the reasons we take advantage of GPS is because we travel. We can go to distant places and find almost anything, so get any accessories for your prized ride here
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The Magnificent Gladys Mae West narrated by Dr West
3 min Notice the description of schools during her childhood
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Science and Math Books
In the work of Dr West and others featured in this series, we see amazing accomplishments in the world of science and math. You can expand your knowledge and competence using the resources found in the link below
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Hidden Figures:
The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race The #1 New York Times bestseller -WINNER OF ANISFIELD-WOLF AWARD FOR NONFICTION -WINNER BLACK CAUCUS OF AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BEST NONFICTION BOOK -WINNER NAACP IMAGE AWARD BEST NONFICTION BOOK -WINNER NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE COMMUNICATION AWARD The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA at the leading edge of the feminist and civil rights movement, whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space—a powerful, revelatory contribution that is as essential to our understanding of race, discrimination, and achievement in modern America as Between the World and Me and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The basis for the smash Academy Award-nominated film starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.
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IT BEGAN WITH A DREAM:
Dr. Gladys B. West IT BEGAN WITH A DREAM, is the story of Dr. Gladys B. West, who played an integral role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a mathematician with Navy. Born in 1930, in the poor farming community of Sutherland, Virginia, she rose from poverty despite segregation, The Great Depression, and Jim Crow laws, to become one of the first professional black women hired at the Dahlgren (Va.) Naval Proving Grounds (now Dahlgren Surface Naval Warfare Center). Dr. West, an HBCU graduate from Virginia State University, and PH.D scholar from Virginia Tech, takes us on her incredible life journey in this heartwarming and unforgettable memoir. Though previously not recognized for her groundbreaking work in STEM, her contribution to GPS impacts almost everyone throughout the world. Recently, she was the first black female inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame and continues to be an example for others to follow. A wife of 63 years, and mother of three, she is clearly a legend, an inspiration, and a true American “shero.” Find out the keys to her success in this awe-inspiring memoir.
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Computer Software
Enhance the capabilities of your computer with the software you need. We have made tremendous strides in the usability of software. Shop for exactly what you need here using our link
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Calculating the Future Gladys West
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The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague (Amazing Scientists)
Meet Raye Montague―the hidden mastermind who made waves in the U.S. Navy! After touring a German submarine in the early 1940s, young Raye set her sights on becoming an engineer. Little did she know sexism and racial inequality would challenge that dream every step of the way, even keeping her greatest career accomplishment a secret for decades. Through it all, the gifted mathematician persisted―finally gaining her well-deserved title in history: a pioneer who changed the course of ship design forever.
ABH – The Girl with a Mind for Math
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Video Games
Even the most studious of us need an occasional break from the routine. There are benefits to have these diversions as long as they don’t take over. Check out the many available using our link below
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Honoring Gladys West
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Human Computer: Mary Jackson, Engineer (Picture Book Biography)
When Mary Jackson was growing up, she thought being an engineer was impossible for her. Why? After all, she was fantastic at math and science. She worked really hard to learn all she could in school. Why did this smart little girl think she couldn’t be an engineer? In Human Computer: Mary Jackson, Engineer, readers ages 5 to 8 explore the life of Mary Jackson, who overcame the challenges of segregation and sexism to become the first female African American engineer at NASA!
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Learning and Education – Toys and Games
There are many ways we learn, there are many ways we educate ourselves, there is no need for it not to be fun. Go ahead and shop for ways to learn and educate yourself or others using our link
ABH – Learning and Education – Toys and Games
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Gladys West- one of the brilliant minds who helped develop GPS.
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Dr. Gladys West Inducted into Air Force Hall of Fame
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Again, we see amazing results from a person that most would write off because of who she was, first a woman, second a Black. Many of you may face the same obstacles because of these or other factors, but these only limit you if YOU let it. Also keep in mind that if you have difficulty with a subject now, if you develop the need for it, you can still do it and do it extremely well. Stories like this should serve as inspiration to ALL. We as a people are capable of anything, we set our minds to do. Don’t let someone determine your future. Go for what you want and do it with gusto!