The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has been awarded to Professor Bradford Parkinson, who is the father of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson.
Professor Parkinson was a part of the team that invented the Global Positioning System, also known as GPS. GPS is the device that determines your exact location on earth.
Parkinson and a team invented the technology in the late 70s. The device was eventually launched into space at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1978.
Parkinson is currently in England after receiving the award. His son, Sheriff Parkinson, posted on Facebook congratulating his father.
