Gladys West, the mathematician whose calculations underpinned the GPS, has died.

Gladys West, whose mathematical models became the foundation for the global positioning system, has died at the age of 95. Her name has long been obscured, though the results of her work are used by millions of people every day, from pilots and emergency dispatchers to everyday motorists driving to work or to appointments.

West was born in 1930 in Virginia. Despite Jim Crow laws that restricted the rights of blacks in the American South, she was able to pursue higher education at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), where she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics. In 1956, she was hired at what is now the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia.

In the 1970s and 1980s, West worked to create accurate models of the Earth’s shape from satellite data. The task required mathematical calculations so complex they would make the average person dizzy. It was these models that later became the basis for the GPS system. West worked at the Dahlgren Center for 42 years and retired in 1998.

As was often the case with the women, especially black women, behind technological and scientific breakthroughs in the U.S., West’s contributions went unrecognized for decades. In 2018, she presented a brief biography of her accomplishments at a sorority event, and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha helped her get the recognition she deserved. That same year, West was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Rocket Pioneers Hall of Fame and honored as Alumna of the Year among women graduating from historically black colleges and universities. In 2020, The Guardian published an interview with West, where she shared details of her journey and admitted that when traveling, she prefers paper maps to the technology she had a hand in creating.

The Guardian published an interview with West, where she shared details of her journey and admitted that when traveling, she prefers paper maps to the technology she herself had a hand in creating.

On the morning of January 18, 2026, Dr. West’s official X social media account posted a message:

“This morning, the world lost a trailblazer – Dr. Gladys West. She went peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, and is now in heaven with loved ones. Thank you in advance for the love and prayers you have already sent and will continue to send.”