Pago Pago
From Binary to Bilingual: How the National Weather Service is Using Artificial Intelligence to Develop a Comprehensive Translation Program
Trujillo-Falcon, Joseph E., Bozeman, Monica L., Llewellyn, Liam E., Halvorson, Samuel T., Mizell, Meryl, Deshpande, Stuti, Manning, Bob, Fagin, Todd
To advance a Weather-Ready Nation, the National Weather Service (NWS) is developing a systematic translation program to better serve the 68.8 million people in the U.S. who do not speak English at home. This article outlines the foundation of an automated translation tool for NWS products, powered by artificial intelligence. The NWS has partnered with LILT, whose patented training process enables large language models (LLMs) to adapt neural machine translation (NMT) tools for weather terminology and messaging. Designed for scalability across Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and National Centers, the system is currently being developed in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and other widely spoken non-English languages. Rooted in best practices for multilingual risk communication, the system provides accurate, timely, and culturally relevant translations, significantly reducing manual translation time and easing operational workloads across the NWS. To guide the distribution of these products, GIS mapping was used to identify language needs across different NWS regions, helping prioritize resources for the communities that need them most. We also integrated ethical AI practices throughout the program's design, ensuring that transparency, fairness, and human oversight guide how automated translations are created, evaluated, and shared with the public. This work has culminated into a website featuring experimental multilingual NWS products, including translated warnings, 7-day forecasts, and educational campaigns, bringing the country one step closer to a national warning system that reaches all Americans.
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Hawaii expedition lets scientists study 'living fossils'
Deep beneath the ocean's surface, scientists exploring the Central Pacific Basin have spotted behaviour that's never been seen before outside of the fossil record. Among the many remarkable creatures observed during the mission, researchers with the NOAA's Okeanos Explorer witnessed the moment a snail appeared to be munching on the feces of a'sea lily.' Experts say this behaviour can be traced back hundreds of millions of years to the Palaeozoic Era. Among the many remarkable creatures observed during the mission, researchers with the NOAA's Okeanos Explorer witnessed the moment a snail appeared to be munching on the feces of a'sea lily' (pictured) The expedition kicked off on April 27, in effort to collect new data on the deep-water areas of the Pacific, beginning near the American Samoa capital Pago Pago, and ending near Honolulu, Hawaii. It comes as part of the three-year Campaign to Address the Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean Needs, which aims to explore Pacific marine monuments sanctuaries, the'last relatively pristine marine ecosystems on the planet.' Over 23 days, researchers conducted remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives in American Samoa, the high seas, and the Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll Units of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
- Oceania > Samoa (0.49)
- North America > United States > Hawaii > Honolulu County > Honolulu (0.29)
- Oceania > American Samoa > Eastern District > Pago Pago (0.26)
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