Did you know that Google and Norad track Santa Claus' gift-giving journey around the world each year? Put on each year by Norad, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, you can watch Kris Kringle travel the globe using Google Maps, Google Earth or at NoradSanta.org.
I wish this technology was around when I was a kid. If you have a cell phone with Google Maps for Mobile, you can even watch Norad track Santa Claus right from your mobile.
Each video of Norad tracking Santa Claus is archived at NoradSanta.org. As of about noon Pacific time, the Jolly One has already hit the North Pole, Sydney, the Great Wall of China, Fuji, Mount Everest, and the International Space Station.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Real-time Geotagged Gift-giving
- Opportunity to use geotagging technology to create real-time gift-giving experiences and gamify events like Christmas.
- Mobile Geotagged Santa Tracking
- Incorporating mobile technology and real-time tracking to gamify Christmas experiences through Santa Claus and gift-giving.
- Live Tracking Events Applications
- A new wave of real-time tracking opportunities that could be leveraged for other live events beyond holiday-related activities.
Where This Applies
- Mobile Technology
- Opportunities to develop new applications for mobile devices that incorporate geotagging technology in live tracking events.
- Marketing
- Innovative ways of using geotagging technology to engage customers and gamify live events, creating new marketing opportunities.
- Entertainment
- Opportunities to gamify entertainment events, creating live interactions between users and events that leverage geotagging technology.
