Google Details NORAD Santa Tracking 2011

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As many have come to expect each year, NORAD will soon begin tracking Santa. In fact, as of the writing of this post, the tracking will commence in roughly 15 hours. Or maybe even less if you are reading this later in the day. Either way though, the long and short here is that NORAD is once again tracking Santa in 2011 and Google will be providing quite a bit in terms of tools.

First up, there is the NORAD Santa site, which you can find by clicking here. The tracking here will officially commence at 2:00AM EST on Saturday December 24th, Christmas Eve. And as for those tools provided by Google and others — those include a mix of everything from YouTube to Google Maps to Google Maps for Mobile to a Google Earth plug-in. Some other methods include social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

• Follow Santa on Google Maps: Visit www.noradsanta.org to see where Santa is currently flying and where he’s headed next on Google Maps. Click on the video icons to watch “Santa cam” videos from all over the world, and the gift icons will display information about each city along the route.
• Watch Santa fly in 3D with the Google Earth plug-in: If you have the Google Earth plug-in installed on your computer, you can track Santa’s location in 3D and see him deliver presents everywhere from the mountain villages of the Swiss Alps to the white sand beaches of Hawaii.
• Track Santa from your mobile phone: Follow Santa on the go by searching for [santa] on the Google Maps for mobile app.
• Get updates via social media: The NORAD team will be posting updates about Santa’s flight throughout the day on December 24. Follow them on Google+, Twitter or Facebook for live updates.
• Subscribe to the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel: All “Santa cam” videos will be posted on the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel as they’re captured. You can also watch a recap of Santa’s 2010 trip. Check back often for updates!

And that all being said, while you wait for the 2011 tracking to commence, you can enjoy this YouTube highlight clip from 2010.