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The ‘Father of GPS’ on Assured PNT – in one page

April 5, 2026

Blog

Written by Editor

Image: Brad Parkinson

What’s new: In preparation for this week’s DSI Assured PNT Summit, Dr. Brad Parkinson, the first chief architect of the Global Positioning System, sent us a one pager outlining some of his thoughts.

Why it’s important: Brad has been involved with GPS longer than anyone. His insights as a system engineer are always on point and valuable.

What else to know:

  • Brad makes a number of great points as always. Particularly note the red text. He points out that most systems proposed to augment/complement/backup GPS are still in the demonstration phase. For serious consideration a complete system definition is required.
  • Dr. Parkinson will be attending the DSI Assured PNT Summit. If you are going, it is a great opportunity to meet a huge figure in American history and say ‘hi’.
  • Government employees attend the summit for free.
  • RNTF President Dana A. Goward is moderating the summit again this year.
  • RNTF and ION will be sharing a table in the exhibit area. Stop by!

DOWNLOAD BRAD’S ONE PAGER HERE

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