In the "can't believe we missed it" department, the NORAD Tracks Santa app has evidently been removed from the iTunes app store until Santa begins his journey again next year.
According to its description on an index page for government-built mobile applications, the North American Aerospace Defense Command-designed app includes a ticker counting down to Santa's flight, a "flight path" children can follow on Christmas Eve and an "elf toss" game plus information about NORAD and its mission.
Here's a Christmas Eve tutorial from someone who caught the show. There are also a few videos from Santa's route on YouTube, including a leg over Santiago, Chile where we learn Santa's an avid skier during the off season, and a swing through Manhattan where Santa pauses to honor 9/11 victims and to praise American air defenses.
The iTunes podcasts store includes archived animated videos of past NORAD Santa flights set to swelling music. One point of criticism: While the app may teach children useful information about NORAD, the consolidated video could give them some funny ideas about geography. At one point, Santa appears to go from St. Louis to Chicago by way of Berlin.
Joseph Marks
Joseph Marks covers government technology issues, social media, Gov 2.0 and global Internet freedom for Nextgov. He previously reported on federal litigation and legal policy for Law360 and on local, state and regional issues for two Midwestern newspapers. He also interned for Congressional Quarterly’s Homeland Security section and the Associated Press’s Jerusalem Bureau. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in international affairs from Georgetown.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION