Recognised as the ‘father of the GPS system’, Prof Bradford Parkinson of Stanford University has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Maritime University of Gdynia (UMG). Prof. Parkinson led the team responsible for the creation of the first GPS-NAVSTAR (Global Positioning System – NAVigation Signal Timing and Ranging) satellite positioning system.

The highest academic dignity was bestowed on Prof. Parkinson in recognition of his revolutionary contribution to the development of technology and all forms of transport, as well as laying the foundations for an epochal change in the functioning of the world and societies of the 20th and 21st centuries by leading the team responsible for the creation of the first GPS-NAVSTAR satellite positioning system.

Half a century has passed since the inauguration of this civil-military technical programme, which completely revolutionised air, sea, and land navigation. Its chief architect was precisely Professor Bradford Parkinson then as Director of the United States Air Force (USAF) GPS Programme Office.

“Thanks to the initiation of the satellite navigation system, billions of people around the world today rely on a vast engineering infrastructure that has covered our entire planet and extends into space. Thanks to the precise location of the receiver and a well-designed map, even if we do not know our route at all, we can reach our destination with confidence”, said Professor Adam Weintrit, rector of Gdynia Maritime University at the ceremony.

Prof. Parkinson is a retired USAF colonel, affiliated with Stanford University since his doctoral studies. He personally led the launch of the first GPS satellites and was responsible for their coordination and pre-commissioning testing. He has gone down in history as the creator of many innovative applications of the GPS system, and the innovativeness of his work has been confirmed by obtaining seven patents.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński