Computer Voice |
 Dave Thurlow, Host |
Computer Voice: "Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mountain Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook."
Well ya it is the weather notebook but that wasn't me. It was a computer generated voice much the same as the voices you may be hearing soon coming from NOAA Weather Radio. A NOAA weather radio, National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration, is set up to receive the nearest weather report broadcast coming from one of the hundreds of weather service sites around the country. NOAA Weather Radio is sends out all kinds of weather warnings and with the new voice automation the warnings will be going out faster than they were before.
By using voice automation, the amount of time from receiving data to broadcasting warnings can be cut drastically. Here's how it works: Doppler radar brings in all kinds of weather data that meteorologists would ordinarily have to transcribe, record and then send out over the radio a process that can potentially take a lot of time. But now, with the new automated voice system, all meteorologists have to do with the Doppler information is to proofread it, maybe make some minor adjustments to the warning and then convert it directly to the voice software with the touch of a computer key.
Computer Voice: "This storm contains high winds...three twisters were sighted"
The system uses a voice that's totally synthetic. It sounds like a real human, but with a somewhat offbeat accent. NOAA plans to develop both male and female versions for its Weather Radio. The system is now being used at selected sites across the country, and it could save taxpayers up to 85% in labor costs. And while yes, this new system will ultimately help save money and lives, many will lament the loss of the true human voice, the local accents and nuances that sound like the guy down the street.
Thanks today to contributing writer Bob Henson. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.
|