It could be the most controversial technological break-up since Apple ditched Google maps for its own inferior version.
On Wednesday, the North American Aeropsace Defense Command (Norad), announced that it has teamed up with Microsoft Bing to power its annual "Santa tracker" after its previous partner, Google, announced it was launching its own version.
Norad, which usually spends its time monitoring the air space above the US and Canada for unexplained or criminal aerospace activity, has "tracked" the worldwide progress of Santa's gift-giving journeys at Christmas since 1955. For the past five years, it used Google Maps to display its "data", which is hugely popular with children.
Norad said the split from Google Maps, who it had worked with to track Santa since 2007, was a mutual decision.
Google now has its own virtual Santa space , which features an animated interactive tour of Santa's village, including games and a service to offer personalized telephone calls from Santa to children.
In response, Norad signed up Bing to be its official mapping tool. Microsoft joins 51 other organizations who work offer their services pro-bono to Norad for the agency's more than 60-year-old tradition.
Norad's tracking feature will also include information about the elevation and direction of Santa's "journey" and photos, weather and Wikipedia information on the destinations.
Before working with Norad, Google tracked Santa using its Google Earth tool. The company will still be loosely affiliated with Norad as Google-owned YouTube will continue to host dispatches from the government agency concerning Santa's whereabouts.
Updates from Norad on the Christmas journey will also be available on Twitter, Facebook and by placing calls to the agency's Santa tracking phone line 877 HI-NORAD.
Norad, and its predecessor the Continental Air Defense Command (Conad), have been tracking Santa since 1955. It started when a department store ad accidentally listed the agency's phone number as a way to follow Santa. A Norad worker who answered a call from a child wondering about Santa's whereabouts decided to follow the ruse and the agency has been involved with the tradition ever since.
More than 1,250 Canadian and Americans volunteer on Christmas eve to maintain the tradition.
There's no word yet on whether the switch from Google to Bing's mapping service will likely help or hinder Santa's progress.
