Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
It Takes a Tech Village to Track Santa on Christmas Eve
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
December 24, 2019

Share

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus.

For the 64th time, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa’s progress to millions around the globe.
But those who believe all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on Christmas Eve.
For the 64th time, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa’s progress to millions around the globe.
And this year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command is offering even more high-tech ways for children and parents to follow along.
Operation NORAD Tracks Santa has evolved from a misdirected telephone call in 1955, to a trailer parked outside the command’s former lair deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, to NORAD ’s modern-day headquarters at Colorado’s Peterson Air Force Base.
Along the way, the tens of thousands of telephone calls fielded by NORAD volunteers each year have been augmented by an explosion of technology that lets millions track St. Nick’s journey from the North Pole to the Pacific and Asia, from Europe to the Americas.
Photo of NORAD monitors
Monitors are illuminated in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base, Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, in Colorado Springs, Colo. More than 1,500 volunteers will answer an estimated 140,000 telephone calls from childfren and their parents who will be checking on the whereabouts of Santa Clau on Christmas Eve. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

It Takes a Village of 1,500 Volunteers to Field Emails

This year’s portals include Alexa, OnStar, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and 3-D apps developed for mobile devices by Cesium, a Philadelphia-based IT and defense contractor. The apps integrate geospatial and satellite-positioning technology with high-resolution graphics that display the actual positions of the stars, sun and moon and the shadows they cast at any point in Santa’s journey.
It takes a village of dozens of tech firms — including Google, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Bing Maps — to deliver the immersive effect for global Santa trackers, with some 15 million visits to the website alone last year.
And it takes a village of 1,500 volunteers to field emails and the 140,000 or so telephone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They staff phone banks equipped with monitors inside a building at Peterson, which offers a view of snow-capped Pikes Peak to the west.
More volunteers and firms donate food, water and coffee to those on Santa Watch.
“Hi Santa Trackers! Lots of kids are waiting to ask you about Santa,” a sign reads.
Volunteers are equipped with an Operations Center Playbook that helps ensure each and every caller can go to sleep happy and satisfied on Christmas Eve.

Photo of Canadian Armed Forces Major Andrew Hennessy, of Armstrong, B.C.
Canadian Armed Forces Major Andrew Hennessy, of Armstrong, B.C., talks about the volunteer effort in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base, Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, in Colorado Springs, Colo. More than 1,500 volunteers will answer an estimated 140,000 telephone inquiries to learn of the whereabouts of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Most Early Calls Come From Japan and Europe

Longtime Santa trackers are familiar with the NORAD-Santa story.

“I’ve never had a block of time move so quickly.” — program manager Preston Schlachter
In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup — the commander on duty one night at NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command — fielded a call from a child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a newspaper department store ad, thinking she was calling Santa.
A fast-thinking Shoup quickly assured his caller that he was. And a tradition was born.
Today, most early calls come from Japan and Europe. The volume soars in the U.S. and Canada, said program manager Preston Schlachter. United Kingdom callers ask about Father Christmas. Those in France generally seek Papa Noel’s whereabouts.
For team members, once “Big Red” — Santa’s code name — is airborne, Schlachter said, “it’s off to the races.”
“I’ve never had a block of time move so quickly,” he said.

DON'T MISS

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

DON'T MISS

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

DON'T MISS

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

DON'T MISS

California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases

DON'T MISS

No Police Charges for Taylor Swift’s Dad Over Paparazzi Incident in Sydney

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled

DON'T MISS

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

No data was found

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

18 mins ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

47 mins ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

1 hour ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

2 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

2 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

5 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

5 hours ago

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

5 hours ago

California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases

5 hours ago

Fresno County Tackles Animal Overpopulation with New Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program

6 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

Meta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the U.S. and Australia as the platform further deemphasizes news and polit...

1 min ago

1 min ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

11 mins ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

13 mins ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

18 mins ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

47 mins ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

1 hour ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

2 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

2 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend