The inventors of “the first truly global, satellite-based positioning system” received the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, ElectronicsWeekly reported. Dr Bradford Parkinson, Richard Schwartz, Hugo Fruehauf, and Professor James Spilker, Jr., (Anna Marie Spilker accepted the award on behalf of her late husband), were bestowed the honor.

The award recognizes engineering innovation and the benefits it provides humanity, and also comes with a million pounds sterling (or about $1.3 million USD). It was a highly collaborative effort. Schwartz built the satellite able to resist the heavy radiation of space;   Fruehauf provided the miniaturized atomic clock, an essential component for the project. The late Spilker built the GPS system with his team at Stanford Telecommunications. Parkinson led the development, design, and testing of the system.

“GPS receivers need signals from at least four satellites to determine their position; they measure the time delay in each signal to calculate the distance to each satellite, then use that information to pinpoint the receiver’s location on earth,” Electronics Weekly noted.

The prize was awarded to them by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

“Lord Browne, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, highlighted the critical role of collaboration in engineering, and in groundbreaking innovations such as GPS: “Our laureates’ success was the result of inter-disciplinary collaboration, a drive for excellence, and an ability to turn the fruits of scientific discovery into practical solutions. That is what engineers do.”, he said.”

The chief architect, Bradford Parkinson, is often called the “father of GPS” after building on several different systems to create the current GPS design. He brought in Spilker to build the ranging signal that makes it all possible by developing the first receiver “critical to the success of GPS for civilian use; it is resistant to jamming, precise, and allows multiple satellites to broadcast on the same frequency without interfering with each other,” GPS World noted.

The award is given to a ground-breaking innovation in engineering that has been of global benefit to humanity