The tracking of Santa’s gift giving trip across the globe began at 6 am today as Christmas morning hit the Pacific Rim and Santa has already dropped off presents to all of the good boys & girls in Japan, Australia, Korea and parts of Russia and China.
Norad (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is showcasing their tracking of Santa again this year in conjunction with Google Earth, on NoradSanta.org. This year, the Google Norad mashup is also featuring localized video of the Jolly Ol’ Elf hitting different locations.
Why is Norad, which has been tracking Santa since 1958 and usually tracks cool stuff like foreign troop movements & drone spy planes, working with Google on the project? Norad Tracks Santa program manager Stacia Reddish tells the press :
“The partnership between Google and Norad to bring the Norad Tracks Santa Program to children around the world has been a perfect fit. Google has the server power needed for the program, and the fabulous people required in the mapping arena to ensure children know where Santa will be as he makes his trek around the globe.”
But wait, parents and children don’t have to use their computers to track Santa this year, as Santa can also be tracked using Twitter, by following @noradsanta or via Google Maps for the mobile.
