Gladys West, the mathematician who calculated the precise geometric models of the Earth that made GPS (Global Positioning System) technology possible, has passed away at the age of 95. A native of Virginia, she died on Saturday, January 17. She began working at the US Naval Proving Ground in 1956, and during an era of racial segregation, used satellite data to compute an accurate model of the Earth's shape. Her work laid the groundwork for modern GPS technology. Why GPS matters: The GPS technology that emerged from her foundational work is now indispensable to daily life around the world: - Navigation maps on smartphones and in cars - Precise route-finding for aircraft and ships - Military targeting - Rapidly locating patients in emergency rescue operations West once said she never imagined that her work would become so widely used by civilians, and that she was glad to see it benefiting humanity. At the age of 70, after suffering a stroke, she refused to give up — going on to earn her PhD as a model of perseverance. Ref: Yahoo