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NORAD Tracks Santa with Cesium on Christmas Eve

Jeff Kiah

Cesium has been part of the NORAD Tracks Santa program for more than a decade, providing updates on The Big Guy’s location every December 24 with CesiumJS. More than 20 million children and parents follow Santa’s journey each year.

The program began in 1955, when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an organization that defends North America by tracking objects flying in and around its airspace, received calls meant for Santa at a Colorado Springs Sears store. Since 2012, Cesium has partnered with NORAD to show Santa's real-time location in 3D, so anyone with internet access can follow his journey across the globe. We combine a virtual Earth, a 3D model of Santa’s sleigh, and data from NORAD in CesiumJS for precise, time-dynamic visualization—and Christmas magic. Delve deeper into the geospatial tech behind NORAD Tracks Santa here. We’re planning big updates for next year.

3D model of Santa, his red sleigh, and eight reindeer flying over green, gray, and brown terrain in CesiumJS in the NORAD Tracks Santa app. The scene includes snowflakes and a dark sky.

We’re honored to continue our work with NORAD Tracks Santa. Beginning at 2 a.m. MT on December 24, you can track Santa and his reindeer online.