Definition
An audio message produced automatically by a computer system that converts text data into spoken words, used in aviation services such as Digital ATIS to deliver airport information to pilots over voice radio frequencies.
Plain English
Spoken information generated by a computer reading text aloud, rather than a human recording the message.
Context Anchor
Encountered when using Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS), where current airport information can be provided as text and as an automated voice message.
Derivation
Synthesized comes from the Greek 'synthesis,' meaning 'to put together.' A computer-synthesized voice is one the computer assembles from digital sound pieces to form spoken words.
Why Pilots Care
The voice may sound mechanical or pause oddly, so pilots need to listen carefully and may need to replay or cross-check the information rather than relying on familiar human cadence.
Intuition Check
Do not assume the message is less official because it is not spoken by a live person. In this context, the computer-generated voice is the system’s spoken delivery of current airport information.
Example Sentence 1
When tuning the ATIS at Atlanta, the pilot heard a computer-synthesized voice message reading the current weather and active runway.
Example Sentence 2
Even without a data link, the computer-synthesized voice message delivered the runway and weather information clearly.