Gladys West: The “Hidden Figure” Who Mapped the Earth and Put the World on the Map

On January 20, 2026, the world lost one of the pioneering minds who played a decisive role in shaping our technological age. Gladys West, the mathematician whose revolutionary mathematical models contributed to the foundation of the Global Positioning System (GPS), passed away at the age of 95.

West passed away peacefully surrounded by her family and friends, leaving a scientific legacy used by billions of people daily for navigation and precise timing, while she personally preferred to rely on traditional paper maps for her travels.

From a Farm Girl in the Era of Segregation to a Pioneer in Mathematics

Gladys Mae Brown was born in 1930 on a small farm in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, under the strict laws of racial segregation (the Jim Crow era). She grew up in a farming family, with a long walk separating her from the school, which was just one single room with one teacher for all grades.

In her memoir titled It Began with a Dream, she wrote about her dreams in those early years: “Every day I wished and dreamed of having more—more books, more classrooms, more teachers, and more time to dream.”

Realizing that education was the door to salvation, she committed to being the best she could be and absorbing as much knowledge as possible. As she neared graduation from her segregated high school, her teachers encouraged her to study mathematics, even though she had considered majoring in home economics. She said, “I really did fall in love with geometry.”

The pivotal turning point in her path occurred when she learned that the valedictorian of her class would receive a college scholarship. She strived to achieve this rank and became the valedictorian of her class. She used the scholarship to attend Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), where she studied mathematics and joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Breaking Barriers: Joining the U.S. Navy

After earning her master’s degree in mathematics in 1955, West joined the U.S. Navy in 1956 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. She was one of only four Black professionals at that center at the time.

West recalled that period, saying, “We were respectful to the leaders and tried to treat them the way we wanted them to treat us.” At Dahlgren, she met mathematician Ira West, who became her husband in 1957. He said of their first meeting: “When I first saw her, I knew there was something for me.”

West worked in the naval program for 42 years, facing the challenges of racism, but found in her passion for work a means of confrontation. She also believed in paving the way for more Black Americans in this field.

She said: “I always felt really responsible for being the best and doing the best that I could… I would give my best regardless of what was going on.”

Pioneering Work: Engineering the Earth for a Precise Navigation System

West’s work coincided with the enormous advances in computing at the time. She began her career in an era when research ideas were translated into zeros and ones, punched onto cards, and fed into massive computers.

Her contribution to the Global Positioning System (GPS) was fundamental and profound, and can be summarized in two main areas:

1. Accurate Mathematical Modeling of the Earth’s Shape (The Geoid)

From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, West programmed the sophisticated IBM 7030 Stretch computer to create an extremely accurate mathematical model of the Earth’s shape. The greatest challenge was calculating the distortions caused by gravitational variations, tidal forces, and other factors that make the Earth an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect sphere.

Without this accurate model, satellites would not be able to calculate locations correctly on the Earth’s surface.

2. Studying Solar System Dynamics

In the early 1960s, West participated in an award-winning astronomical study that proved the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune. This work, while seemingly distant from terrestrial navigation applications, contributed to improving our understanding of orbital dynamics and developing accurate prediction algorithms for the trajectories of celestial bodies, which is crucial for placing satellites in their correct orbits.

According to the U.S. Space Force, without her work and subsequent updates, the intricate precision of GPS timing and navigation would not have been possible.

شاهد ايضا”

• الذكاء الاصطناعي في الجغرافيا الصحية: كشف البؤر الوبائية
  
• الذكاء الاصطناعي في خدمة الجغرافيا: نحو بناء نموذج معرفي جديد لتحليل المكان والزمان
• جغرافية الاستهلاك: التحليل المكاني للسلوك الاقتصادي في العالم المعاصر

Belated Recognition: From “Hidden Figure” to an Acknowledged Icon

For decades, Gladys West’s achievements remained unknown to the wider public, much like many other Black women scientists who worked during the Cold War, whose stories were highlighted in the book Hidden Figures (2016).

However, in the last decade of her life, West received the recognition she deserved:

• 2018: Inducted into the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame.
• 2023: Received the Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award from the National Museum of the Surface Navy.
• 2023: Became the first woman to win the prestigious Prince Philip Medal awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK.

When asked for advice for young people facing adversity, West said: “You can give up and cause a whole lot of stress on yourself, or you can take what you have and make the best of it. Do your best work, work hard… and be a real good person.”

A Lasting Legacy: The Mind That Mapped the Earth and Charted the World

Gladys West passed away declaring with satisfaction: “I’m pretty satisfied that I used myself up.” She utilized all her abilities to leave an indelible legacy.

Imagine a world without GPS—a world where pilots and ships get lost, communication and power networks are delayed, modern transportation systems fail, and smartphone applications lose their ability to guide us. This world would have been a reality without the mathematical precision that Gladys West provided in modeling the shape of our planet.

Gladys West’s legacy transcends mathematical equations. It is a story of extraordinary human perseverance, and how a single mind, persistent in research and diligence, can change the world’s landscape for everyone. She is a model proving that the greatest achievements can come from the most humble places, and that the strongest signals can emanate from the most “hidden figures.”