You might be lost without her.
It is an old stereotype that men would rather go around in circles than ask for directions. But thanks to this woman’s efforts, getting directions is now second nature for most drivers.
Dr Gladys West: The Globe Tracker
What she gave us: Global Positioning System (GPS)
Let’s admit it – most of us would be lost without the help of GPS to map out our journeys. Heading out to check out that new restaurant that everyone is talking about? Picking up your teenage children who’ve been out gallivanting with their friends somewhere? Punch in the address on your smartphone or car’s navigation system, and you’re soon on your way.
While Hedy Lamarr was a pioneer in the technology that lay the groundwork for GPS, the actual invention has been associated with at least four people. One of them is Dr Gladys West.
As a child, finances were tight and she had to help harvest crops to get by. But even at that young age, Dr West had her sights set on a life beyond her family’s small farm. She studied hard, won a scholarship majoring in mathematics, and in the 1950s, started working for a United States naval base.
For the next two decades, Dr West climbed the ranks and became project manager for the Seasat (the first satellite that could monitor the oceans) radar altimetry project.
From the 1970s to the 1980s, she worked on programming a computer that can calculate and determine the exact location and the orbits of satellites. Together with her detailed mathematical modelling for the exact shape of Earth, this became a building block for what would become the GPS orbit. In this way, Dr West hugely contributed to the accuracy of modern GPS systems.
Dr West only started getting recognition for her contribution in 2018; back in the day, her race and gender kept her from being recognised. But better late than never!
Despite her contribution to GPS, Dr West still prefers using a paper map: “If I can see the road and see where it turns and see where it went, I am more sure.”
This is a woman who knows her way, for sure.
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Sources:
Main photo: Credit
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