Gladys Brown West

The 25th Annual Webby Awards is honored to recognize 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 center 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 is our privilege to honor Gladys West with the 2021 Webby Lifetime Achievement Award.