Gladys West, the mathematician whose computations helped produce the precise Earth model used by modern GPS, died at 95. Born in rural Virginia in 1930, she rose from segregated schools to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics and spent 42 years at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren. Her programming on the IBM 7030 and algorithms that corrected for gravitational and tidal effects were foundational to GPS. West gained wider recognition after the 2016 book and film Hidden Figures and received several major honors late in life.
Gladys West, 'Hidden Figures' Mathematician Who Shaped GPS, Dies at 95
Gladys West and Sam Smith look over data from the Global Positioning System, which Gladys helped develop at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, VA in 1985. | Credit: US Navy
Gladys West, a gifted mathematician whose programming and algorithms helped create the highly accurate model of Earth used by modern GPS, has died at 95. Her family posted the news on X; National Public Radio (NPR) cited the message saying West "passed peacefully alongside her family and friends" and that her death was due to natural causes.
Early Life and Education
Born Gladys Mae Brown on Oct. 27, 1930, in rural Sutherland, Virginia, West grew up on a small family farm in a region where many families were tenant farmers and sharecroppers. She excelled in school, graduating as her high school's valedictorian and earning a full scholarship to the historically Black Virginia State College (now Virginia State University). There she completed a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s degree in mathematics, and taught in Virginia’s segregated schools before beginning her long career in government service.
Career and Contributions
In 1955 West joined the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, where she worked for 42 years. Early in her career she contributed to astronomical studies in the 1960s — including work showing the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune — and later focused on developing models of Earth that accounted for gravitational, tidal and other forces that distort the planet’s shape.
"I prefer maps," West once told an NPR affiliate in 2020, noting she used GPS only minimally despite her central role in its development.
West programmed the IBM 7030 (known as Stretch) and developed complex algorithms that refined calculations of Earth's shape. Those refined geodetic models were optimized for satellite orbits and became foundational to the Global Positioning System (GPS) used for navigation worldwide.
Recognition and Legacy
Though much of her work was not widely known for decades, West gained public recognition after Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 book Hidden Figures and the film adaptation. Honors followed, among them induction into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame (2018), the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), the Prince Philip Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering (2021), and the National Museum of the Surface Navy’s Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award (2021).
Personal Life
West was married for 57 years to Ira West, whom she met while working at the Naval Proving Ground; he predeceased her in 2024. The couple had three children and seven grandchildren. West’s work continues to affect billions of users around the world and stands as a lasting legacy of scientific rigor and quiet dedication.
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