Growing up as a “military brat” I have many memories of my Dad discussing how the team at NORAD would be tracking Santa on his journey on Christmas Eve. For about the past 10 years I’ve also been reminding readers of the blogs and publications that I’ve managed (and my kids too) about this fabulous resource made available from the team at NORAD - enter NORAD Santa.

This year users will also be able to track Santa using mobile devices as well... very nice!

Once again the crew in Colorado Springs is preparing the NORAD radar system (aka. North warning system) to track Santa’s treck on Christmas eve. Monitoring the system closely, the NORAD team will share images, video and radar sighting updates with the World via this fabulous website known as NORAD Santa. Tracking Santa via this resource is a tradition in our household and in my mind this is THE best Santa monitoring system you’ll find… hands down!

For mobile fans, this year the team has leveraged some of the google tools to make tracking Santa possible via your mobile along with google Maps Mobile… according to this post, simply search for “norad santa” to see Santa’s location using the mobile app… nice! Someone up there is looking out for me with these gifts…

 If you have an iPhone, T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or Nokia phone with Google Maps, just search for "norad santa" to see Santa's location. See more info HERE

Bookmark this resosurce and be sure to check in often on Christmas eve with everyone in your household that Believes! Note: the system uses data captured via radar, satellites, Santa cams, and fighter jets! See more about NORAD Santa tracker in this article from a couple of years ago and check back (or this one from 2005 or from 2004) at NORAD to see what they have new in store for us this year. http://www.noradsanta.org/
 

 The Santa Map from NORAD

NORAD captured this photo of Santa on a rooftop in 1956

How NORAD tracks Santa:

NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets.

• Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America.
• The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors which enable them to detect heat.
• The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network. We began using it in 1998, which is the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year on Christmas Eve.
• The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or the F-16 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer

Blow you'll find glimpses of Santa's treck around the Globe from last year: