1.1. President Donald J Trump Proclaims February As National African American History Month.

On 1 February 2017 the U.S. President signed a Proclamation making February 2017 the National African American History Month. It reads as follows:

As we celebrate National African American History Month, we recognise the heritage and achievements of African Americans. The contributions African Americans have made and continue to make are an integral part of our society, and the history of African Americans exemplifies the resilience and innovative spirit that continue to make our Nation great.

For generations, African Americans have embodied the shared progress of our Nation. Through toil and struggle and with courageous actions that have broken barriers, they have made America a better place to live and work for everybody.

This year, African American History Month calls upon us to reflect on the crucial role of education in the history of African Americans. It reminds us of the importance of teaching and reflecting upon the many roles African Americans have played in building this Nation and driving it forward. This year's theme also calls upon us to rededicate ourselves to the work of ensuring that all children in this Nation have access to quality educational opportunities that give them the skills, experiences, relationships, and credentials that can empower them to follow in the footsteps of people like Katherine Johnson, Madam C J Walker, and Robert Smalls.

1.2. Gladys West honoured for Black History Month.

In a message about Black History Month, written in 2017, Captain Godfrey Weekes, then-commanding officer at Dahlgren, said Gladys West played an "integral role" in the development of GPS: "As Gladys West started her career as a mathematician at Dahlgren in 1956, she likely had no idea that her work would impact the world for decades to come."

2.1. Senate Joint Resolution No. 168.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 168 Commending Gladys West.
Agreed to by the Senate, 26 February 2018.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, 27 February 2018.

WHEREAS, Gladys West, a pioneering mathematician and King George County resident, forged a historic 42-year career at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren and made valuable contributions to the development of the Global Positioning System; and

WHEREAS, born in Dinwiddie County, Gladys West graduated at the top of her high school class and secured a scholarship to Virginia State University, where she received a bachelor's degree in mathematics; after teaching school in Sussex County for two years, she continued her studies and earned a master's degree; and

WHEREAS, in 1956, Gladys West's mathematical talents secured her a position at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, then known as the Naval Proving Ground; she was only the second African American woman hired at the facility and was one of just four black employees; and

WHEREAS, Gladys West worked at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren for 42 years, climbing the ranks of the organisation while serving as a programmer for large-scale computers and a project manager for data processing systems used in the analysis of satellite data; during the 1950s and 1960s, her calculations and mathematical work contributed to the development of the modern Global Positioning System (GPS); and

WHEREAS, along with making major technological breakthroughs at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Gladys West also met Ira West, her husband of over 60 years; and

WHEREAS, throughout her career at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Gladys West earned the trust and respect of her colleagues for her analytical skill and her ability to accurately calculate complex mathematical figures; among other projects, she worked on Seasat, the first satellite designed for remote sensing of the oceans with synthetic aperture radar; and

WHEREAS, Gladys West retired from Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in 1998; she has since earned a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and begun writing her memoirs; and

WHEREAS, in a 2017 message commemorating Black History Month, the commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division hailed Gladys West for her integral role in developing GPS and noted that her mathematical work had made a significant impact on the world; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Gladys West for her trailblazing career in mathematics and vital contributions to modern technology; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Gladys West as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her remarkable accomplishments and best wishes for continued success.

3.1. What is the BBC 100 Women?

BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year. The British broadcaster creates documentaries, features and interviews about their lives, giving more space for stories that put women at the centre.

3.2. Gladys West is one of the BBC 100 women.

The BBC gives the following article making Gladys West one of their BBC 100 women of 2018:

From the sat nav in your car, to the tags on your social media posts, many of us use global positioning systems, or GPS, every day.

Gladys West is one of the people whose work was instrumental in developing the mathematics behind GPS.

Until now, her story has remained untold.

When Mrs West started her career at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in the US state of Virginia in 1956, just one other black woman and two black men worked alongside her.

"I carried that load round, thinking that I had to be the best that I could be," she says.

"Always doing things just right, to set an example for other people who were coming behind me, especially women.

"I strived hard to be tough and hang in there the best I could."

Mrs West was born in 1930, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia - "a real rural kind of a place" as she describes it.

Many of the families around them were sharecroppers - tenants of a farm who had to hand over a proportion of their crops to the landowners.

Her family had their own small farm and she had to work in the fields with them.

"I guess I found that a little bit contrary to what I had in my mind of where I wanted to go," she says.

Mrs West was ambitious; she didn't want to stay picking tobacco, corn or cotton like the people she saw around her.

Neither did she want to work in a nearby factory, beating tobacco leaves into pieces small enough for cigarettes and pipes.

"I thought at first I needed to go to the city. I thought that would get me out of the country and out of the fields," she says.

"But then as I got more educated, went into the higher grades, I learned that education was the thing to get me out."

At her school, people who came top of the class were offered a scholarship to the local university.

Her family "didn't have a whole lot of money" and Mrs West knew this was her one big chance.

She worked hard, graduating first in her high school class, securing her that scholarship.

"When it was time to go to college, I didn't quite know what to major in," she says.

"They were trying to tell me, since I was good at all my subjects, that I should major in science or math or something that was more difficult and meant people didn't major in it."

She took maths, a subject mostly studied at her college by men.

"You felt a little bit different. You didn't quite fit in as you did in home economics.

"You're always competing and trying to survive because you're in a different group of people."

The few female classmates she had went on to careers like teaching. Ms West also taught for a couple of years but her degree meant she had opportunities elsewhere too and she moved on to work at the naval base in Dahlgreen.

Mrs West would collect and process data from satellites, using it to help determine their exact location.

It was this information that would go on to help develop GPS.

"We would come in and sit at our desks and we would logic away, go through all the steps anyone would have to do to solve the mathematical problem," she explains.

Then she would work with programmers on the functions the massive computers needed to do.

"The operators would call us to tell us our programme was running now and we could come down and watch it," she says.

"So we would come down and watch this big computer churn away. Then you'd get some results.

"Nine times out of 10 they weren't completely right so you had to analyse them and find out what was different to what you expected."

At the same time Mrs West was working as a mathematician, the civil rights movement was gaining ground in the US.

The campaign, led by figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, challenged racism across the country.

More than a quarter of a million people marched to the Lincoln Memorial, to listen to King's "I have a dream" speech.

But Mrs West's work set her apart from that movement.

"It turned out to be somewhat separate for us because we were working for the government and we couldn't do a whole lot of participating in non-government activities off-base," she says.

"We lived on the base and we didn't communicate too well with the community that was around us.

"We didn't get involved with it [the civil rights movement], partly because it wasn't safe because of the job, to do that."

Not long after starting work at the base, Mrs West fell in love with the man who would become her husband - Ira West, one of her two male black colleagues. They married, started a family and have been together for more than 60 years.

She continued working as a mathematician and her hard work was rewarded when she was nominated by her departmental head for a commendation in 1979.

Mrs West was then recommended as project manager for the Seasat radar altimetry project, the first satellite that could remotely sense oceans.

Retiring in 1998, after a career spanning more than 40 years, she and Ira decided to mark this new era in their life by travelling.

And then Mrs West returned to education - working towards a PhD - but suffered a stroke.

It affected her hearing, vision, balance and mobility, and left her feeling miserable.

"All of a sudden," she says, "these words came into my head: 'You can't stay in the bed, you've got to get up from here and get your PhD.'"

Not only has she achieved her PhD, she's also gone on to deal with other challenges to her health, including a breast cancer diagnosis a few years ago.

It was only when a member of her university sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, read a short biography Mrs West had submitted for an alumni function, that her achievements were brought into the spotlight.

Since then, articles about Mrs West have appeared in local press, students have done class reports on her and she has been officially recognised by the Virginia Senate.

4.1. The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award.

The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award pays tribute to the leaders of the early years of the Air Force space program, as well as the subsequent innovators whose vision and perseverance overcame the obstacles of the unknown, those who transformed the cutting edge of technology into operational systems, and those who dedicated their lives to exploring space in support of our national security concerns.

4.2. Gladys West receives the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award.

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. - Lt Gen David Thompson, Air Force Space Command vice commander, presented Dr Gladys West with the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award for her decades of contributions to the Air Force's space program. West was unable to attend the formal induction ceremony that took place 28 August, where three others joined the elite list of professionals who have greatly impacted the Air Force space program.

Dr Gladys West was among a small group of women who did computing for the U.S. military in the era before electronic systems. Hired in 1956 as a mathematician at the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory, she participated in a path-breaking, award-winning astronomical study that proved, during the early 1960s, the regularity of Pluto's motion relative to Neptune. Thereafter, from the mid-1970s through the 1980s, using complex algorithms to account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and other forces that distort Earth's shape, she programmed an IBM 7030 "Stretch" computer to deliver increasingly refined calculations for an extremely accurate geodetic Earth model, a geoid, optimised for what ultimately became the Global Positioning System (GPS) orbit.

The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award pays tribute to the leaders of the early years of the Air Force space program, as well as the subsequent innovators whose vision and perseverance overcame the obstacles of the unknown, those who transformed the cutting edge of technology into operational systems, and those who dedicated their lives to exploring space in support of our national security concerns.

5.1. Gladys West inducted into Space and Missiles Pioneers Hall of Fame.

Dr Gladys West was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame during a ceremony in her honour at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., 6 December 2018. West was among the so-called "Hidden Figures" part of the team who did computing for the U.S. military in the era before electronic systems. The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame is one of Air Force's Space Commands Highest Honours.

5.2. Washington Informer reports Gladys West's induction.

Gladys West, hired in 1956 as a mathematician at the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory, has been presented with the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award for her decades of contributions to the Air Force's space program. The award is one of Air Force's Space Commands highest honours.

West, 87, is one of a small group of women who did computing for the U.S. military in the era before electronic systems. In doing so, she participated in a ground-breaking, award-winning astronomical study that proved, during the early 1960s, the regularity of Pluto's motion relative to Neptune. West is also credited for helping to develop technology that that ultimately led to the Global Positioning System.

"Her story is amazing," Gwen James, a fellow member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, told The Associated Press. "GPS has changed the lives of everyone forever. There is not a segment of this global society - military, auto industry, cellphone industry, social media, parents, NASA, etc. - that does not utilise the Global Positioning System."

5.3. VIBE reports Gladys West's induction.

Dr Gladys West joined the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame on 6 December 2018, for her prowess in the STEM field. Throughout the 1960s, Dr West broke ground with her achievements in astrophysics. Within her time working for the country's Air Force, Dr West also worked on a computer system that attempted to produce the most accurate coordinates for the base's machinery. The technological advances served as the basis for the Global Positioning System or GPS.

Born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Dr West used her education as her way to attain success and once she arrived at college, she majored in math which at the time was an area dominated by men, BBC reports. Once she started working for a naval base in Dahlgren, Virginia, Dr West immersed herself in mathematical equations and problem solving that led to her achievements that are recognised today.

In March 2018, West was also honoured by the Virginia Senate in Richmond for her accolades and skill set.

6.1. The Prince Philip Medal.

In 1989, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Senior Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering, agreed to the commissioning of a gold medal to be 'awarded periodically to an engineer of any nationality who has made an exceptional contribution to engineering as a whole through practice, management or education', to be known as the Prince Philip Medal.

Inaugurated in 1991, the Prince Philip Medal was first presented to the wartime pioneer and inventor of the jet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle OM KBE CB FREng FRS.

6.2. Gladys West awarded the Prince Philip Medal.

The Royal Academy of Engineering, founded by HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 45 years ago this week at Buckingham Palace, has presented its highest individual award - the Prince Philip Medal - to Dr Gladys West, whose mathematical modelling paved the way for the engineering innovation of GPS. Dr West is the first woman to win the Prince Philip Medal in the 30 years since it was presented for the first time in 1991 to Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, wartime pioneer and inventor of the jet engine.

As a pioneer in the use of complex mathematics and efficient programming to process early satellite data to generate accurate, repeatable and global models of the Earth's geoid, her work underpinned the mapping functions of GPS and the study of global mean sea level.

Speaking from her home at Gatcombe Park, HRH The Princess Royal, Royal Fellow of the Academy, presented the gold medal via a virtual audience with Dr West at her home in the United States. Dr West was accompanied by her husband Ira, also a mathematician and a former branch head at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, where they both worked for many years.

Now aged 90, Dr West was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, and started her career as a maths and science teacher after graduating from Virginia State University in 1952. Four years later she was hired to work at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, (now called the Naval Surface Warfare Center), where she was the second black woman ever hired and one of only four black employees. West was a programmer in the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division for large-scale computers and a project manager for data-processing systems used in the analysis of satellite data.

In the early 1960s, she participated in an award-winning astronomical study that proved the regularity of Pluto's motion relative to Neptune. Subsequently, Dr West began to analyse data from satellites, putting together altimeter models of the Earth's shape. She became project manager for the Seasat radar altimetry project, one of the first satellites that could remotely sense oceans. Dr West introduced innovations, cutting her team's processing time in half, and was recommended for a commendation in 1979.

From the mid-1970s through to the 1980s, Dr West designed, developed, tested and then used computer programmes to deliver increasingly precise calculations to model the shape of the Earth - an ellipsoid with irregularities, known as the geoid. Generating an extremely accurate model required her to employ complex algorithms to account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and other forces that distort Earth's shape. Her data ultimately became an important enabler for the Global Positioning System (GPS).

In 1986, Dr West published Data Processing System Specifications for the Geosat Satellite Radar Altimeter, a 51-page technical report from The Naval Surface Weapons Center. The guide was published to explain how to increase the accuracy of the estimation of geoid heights and vertical deflection, important components of satellite geodesy. This was achieved by processing the data created from the radio altimeter on the Geosat satellite, which went into orbit on 12 March 1984.

Dr West worked at Dahlgren for 42 years, retiring in 1998. After retiring, she completed a PhD in Public Administration.

Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi CBE FREng, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering Awards Committee, says:

"We are delighted to present Dr Gladys West with the Prince Philip Medal, our most prestigious individual award. Her work on precise modelling of the earth's surface was relied on by the engineers who realised GPS and the accuracy that is possible today harks back to the definition of the Earth's geoid, work that Dr West achieved using sparse data from early satellites, working with early computers that required elegant, efficient mathematics and extraordinary diligence."

Nominating Dr West for the award, Pat Norris, who worked as a satellite geodesist on the Apollo programme in the 1960s and became Chairman of UKspace in the 1990s, says:

"Dr West's contribution was a combination of complex algebra and software engineering. The discipline of software engineering was embryonic in the 1970s when she was doing her seminal work on geoids and the definition and testing of complex mathematical software was particularly problematic. Her contributions were all the more meritorious as a Black woman in a white patriarchal society. These factors were especially strong in Virginia, where Dr West lived, as captured in the film Hidden Figures. Dr West's determination and success in overcoming these challenges in her early education set the path for her excelling at work and in family life - a true inspiration for all young people, particularly those with obstacles to overcome."

6.3. Gladys West's response on the award of the Prince Philip Medal.

Accepting the award, Dr West says:

"It is hard for me to believe that I was a little black girl on the farm who had a dream to get off the farm, get educated, and make enough money to take care of myself. And now, I have realised my dreams and reached a height beyond what I anticipated. I encourage young women to believe in yourself, find your passion, work hard and apply yourself, stay committed, find a mentor, participate in activities that relate to your passion, never give up, always keep setting new goals and continue to strive to reach them, and most of all - follow your dreams."

7.1. The Webby Awards.

Since its inception in 1996, The Webby Awards' unwavering mission has been to honour excellence on the Internet. The awards launched with 15 categories, and Webby Winners were selected by an array of Internet aficionados - a group that would become the basis for the International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences.

The Webby Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual or group of individuals who have played an integral role over time in furthering the creative, technical or professional progress of the Internet.

7.2 Gladys West receives the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 25th Annual Webby Awards was honoured to recognise Gladys West with the 2021 Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for developing the mathematical model that mapped Earth, which laid the groundwork for the modern GPS.

Since leading the pivotal Seasat radar altimetry project and mapping an accurate geodetic Earth model, West's efforts and the use of the modern Global Positioning System have become instrumental in the daily lives of people worldwide. From searching directions on smartphones, to cars with built-in GPS navigation, to the use of geotagging in social media, the Global Positioning System is one of the most important technological inventions of the century, and West's ingenuity is at the centre of it all.

Gladys West's impact cannot be overstated, as both a programmer and trailblazer as a Black woman pursuing a STEM field career in the 1960s, amidst the Civil Rights Movement. Gladys West stands out as a role model for young Black women everywhere who see their own brilliance and the possibilities of their own dreams through West's accomplishments. For her remarkable work that inspired the development of the GPS, it was our privilege to honour Gladys West with the 2021 Webby Lifetime Achievement Award.

7.3. Gladys West's five word speech.

It began with a dream.

8.1. Gladys West receives the Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award.

The National Museum of the Surface Navy has awarded Dr Gladys West with the first Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award, recognising her for the spirit to propel society beyond its limits, pioneering research and developing technologies that impact the knowledge and capabilities of people around the world.

West, a King George resident, traces her roots back to Naval Proving Ground, now Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), where she was hired in 1956 and worked for 42 years.

West contributed to mathematical modelling of the Earth's shape as well as the development of satellite geodesy models, later incorporated into the GPS.

The museum hosted a Freedom of the Seas Awards Dinner in October at the Battleship USS Iowa in Los Angeles to honour West and other award recipients. Although West was unable to attend, she tuned into the live event.

In an interview after the event, West shared her feelings about the award.

"I am elated - very happy to be recognised, pleased that others get to see the work that we did at Dahlgren. It is an honour to be the first recipient of this award. I am sorry that I could not attend to accept it in person," West said. "Thank you to all who had a part in my receiving this award."

Lt Commander Gareth Brown-Hebert, NSWCDD executive officer, accepted the award on West's behalf.

"As a Surface Warfare Officer with many hours of ocean transit, it is not hyperbolic to say that I personally owe my life and safety to her pioneering innovation in GPS technology," Brown-Hebert said to an audience of about 250 active duty and retired military, government and community leaders.

"Dr West's mathematical prowess was critical in developing a model of the Earth's surface that was integrated into the foundation of the World Geodetic System. Although this model has been refined several times in the intervening years; current GPS modelling is rooted in her brilliant work," Brown-Hebert said.

West has strived to propel society beyond its limits by "being aware of the young people, mentoring, contributing to their development by sharing stories of my career," she said.

She's pioneered research and developed technology that impacts the knowledge and capabilities of people around the world by "being a part of several museum exhibits where my story is shared to all people everywhere, hoping that this leaves encouragement to follow their dreams and work hard to be the best they can be," West said.

During interviews, military leaders sang her praises.

"I think that Dr West is another one of those 'hidden figures' in our military that play a critical role in the advancements that not only affected our ability to fire missiles accurately but also enable everyday life when you pick up your Google phone and you're trying to find something," said retired Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, 2022 VADM Samuel Gravely, Jr Award recipient.

Retired Admiral Philip S Davidson, former Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command and 2023 Freedom of the Seas Award recipient, said, "The Navy stands on the shoulders of the geniuses that have been advancing our technology in the Navy … We're standing on Dr West's shoulders to execute the mission of the United States."

9.1. The Gladys West Elementary School.

The Gladys West Elementary School was named in 2024 and opened in Fredericksburg, Virginia in August 2025. Its mission is to instil in its students the academic and social skills necessary to become productive citizens who are motivated to learn and who care about themselves and others.

10.1. The IEEE President's Award.

Established in 2000, the current IEEE President, with the consent of the Board of Directors, may name individuals to receive the IEEE President's Award. Normally, no more than two awards will be bestowed in any given year. The IEEE President's Award is given to individuals, not necessarily members of IEEE, whose careers have exhibited distinguished leadership and contributions to the public. To those recipients not already members of IEEE, this recognition shall carry an entitlement to the privileges of IEEE except the right to vote and hold office therein. Recipients are selected by the IEEE President with the consent of the IEEE Board of Directors.

10.2. Gladys West receives the 2024 IEEE President's Award

Gladys West was awarded the 2024 IEEE President's Award for mathematical modelling and development of satellite geodesy models that played a pivotal role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Gladys West played an integral role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). She began her career in 1956 at the Naval Proving Ground, now called Naval Support Facility Dahlgren. She was the second African American woman hired there and one of only four African American employees in total. During her 42 years of service, West was admired by her colleagues for her skill in calculating complex mathematical equations. She rose through the ranks and worked on satellite geodesy and other satellite measurements that contributed to the accuracy of GPS. Her contributions to GPS technology have had a profound and ubiquitous impact, touching nearly every individual through its integration into smartphones, automobiles, and various other devices. She later became project manager for the radar altimetry data processing project of Seasat, the first satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth's oceans, for which she received a commendation. West published numerous papers and made presentations on her work at national and international conferences before retiring in 1998. After retiring, she went back to school and completed a PhD in Public Administration from Virginia Tech. West is the only Black woman to be inducted into the Air Force Missile and Space Pioneers Hall of Fame and was also inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. She was awarded the Prince Philip Medal by The Royal Academy of Engineering and is the first woman to win this award. She was recently inducted into the Surface Navy Hall of Fame. In 2020, she released her memoir, "It Began with A Dream."

Gladys West resides in King George, Virginia, USA, with her husband Ira West, also a retired mathematician. At 93 years old, she still exercises regularly, is a member of Gideons International, and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

11.1. The GIS Hall of Fame.

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Hall of Fame honours persons and organisations that have made significant and original contributions to the development and application of GIS concepts, tools, and/or resources, or the GIS profession.

Their contributions have had a significant and enduring impact on the GIS field or profession, and their work has benefited society as a whole.

Persons inducted into the GIS Hall of Fame have, in their work and professional conduct, exemplified vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behaviour.

11.2. Gladys West inducted into the GIS Hall of Fame.

In late 2025 the Geospatial Professional Network (GPN) recently announced the induction of Dr Gladys West into its GIS Hall of Fame, recognising her foundational contributions to geodesy, satellite science, and the technologies that underpin modern GPS. The GPN's GIS Hall of Fame honours persons and organisations that have made significant and original contributions to the development and application of GIS concepts, tools, or resources, or to the GIS profession.

Dr Gladys West's pioneering work in satellite altimeter data analysis and the development of complex algorithms laid the foundation for the precise calculations that enable GPS technology - a cornerstone of modern geospatial science and daily life. Her career, spanning over four decades at the Naval Proving Ground (now the Naval Surface Warfare Center) in Dahlgren, Virginia, was marked by innovation, perseverance, and a profound commitment to service.

Some key highlights of Dr West's career include:

- Leading multi-year projects to create mathematical models of the Earth's shape, which became critical building blocks for GPS satellite orbital planning.

- Programming the IBM 7030 computer to deliver refined calculations for accurate geodetic Earth models, directly impacting the development of GPS.

- Publishing influential technical reports and studies, such as "Data Processing System Specifications for the Geosat Satellite Radar Altimeter," which advanced the accuracy of geoid height estimation.

- Serving as a role model and trailblazer for women, people of colour, and others underrepresented in STEM, overcoming barriers and inspiring future generations.

Dr West's contributions have been recognised by scientific, military, and public institutions, including:

- Induction into the United States Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame.
- The Webby Lifetime Achievement Award.
- The Prince Philip Medal from the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering.
- The IEEE President's Award.
- The National Museum of the Surface Navy's Freedom of the Seas Exploration and Innovation Award.

Her story is a testament to the power of perseverance, skill, and dedication. Dr West's induction into the GIS Hall of Fame not only celebrates her remarkable contributions but also serves as a beacon for equity, recognition, and inspiration within the geospatial community.