Gladys West

Biography

Gladys West was a mathematician whose work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center was critical to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). She programmed an IBM computer to deliver precise calculations for an accurate geodetic Earth model, which became the basis for GPS technology. Her contributions were unknown to the public for decades until she was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018.

格拉迪丝·韦斯特是一位数学家，她在海军水面作战中心的工作对全球定位系统（GPS）的开发至关重要。她为IBM计算机编程，提供精确计算以建立准确的大地测量地球模型，这成为了GPS技术的基础。她的贡献在几十年里不为公众所知，直到2018年她入选空军太空和导弹先驱名人堂。

Key Achievements

• Mathematical modeling critical to GPS development

  对GPS开发至关重要的数学建模

• Inducted into Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame

  入选空军太空和导弹先驱名人堂

• Programmed precise geodetic Earth model

  编程精确的大地测量地球模型

References & Citations

1. Wikipedia: Gladys West — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_West
2. USAF Hall of Fame induction, 2018