Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Microsoft has a competitor this year to track Santa across globe

Microsoft has had a monopoly of tracking Santa through its sponsored system run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is in its 57th year and allows children to follow the sleigh online.

NORAD Tracks Santa has begun the annual task of following Father Christmas. He was last spotted over Afghanistan

But not anymore  - it has a competitor this year: Google. Using its Google Earth and Google Maps products, the internet search giant is tracking Santa on its own this year with a new algorithm.

'While we've been tracking Santa since 2004 with Google Earth, this year a team of dedicated Google Maps engineers built a new route algorithm to chart Santa's journey around the world on Christmas Eve,' the vice-president of Google Maps and Google Earth, Brian McClendon, wrote on the Official Google blog this week.

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Meanwhile, NORAD revealed it takes hundreds of calls from those eager to know Saint Nick's precise location and uses radar and satellite and even fighter jets to keep a track of his route.

By 1pm EST the tracking site had followed Santa across Australia and Asia. He was spotted passing landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the Sydney Opera House.

Mid-flight: A glimpse of Rudolph was picked up by NORAD's Santacam over Sydney's Opera House this morning. He was most recently seen above the skies of Afghanistan.

Watch the Weather-all-clear from NORAD for Santa's deliveries:


Read more about Santa's route tracking at: Mail Online

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