How ClausTrack Works
Everything you need to launch, organize, drive, volunteer, and track Santa's community sleigh runs with real-time GPS telemetry, safety lockout controls, and live charity fundraising.
System Portals & Direct Links
Click any card to open the page or copy direct links for crew members.
Admin Dashboard
Manage routes, upload GPX tracks, assign volunteer roles, customize safety checklists, configure branding & themes, broadcast messages, and view live pageview analytics.
GPS Driver Cockpit
Dedicated smartphone GPS broadcaster with Screen Wake Lock, live battery/speed telemetry, safety lockout status, and GPS test simulator for pre-event dry runs.
Crew Portal
Crew muster check-in, mandatory pre-start safety checklist sign-off (unlocks driver GPS), real-time street donation bucket logging, and private dispatch ticker.
Volunteer Application
Public signup form for community helpers to register their contact details, availability dates, and preferred roles (Banksman, Driver, Santa, Lead Elf, Collector).
Public Live Tracker
The public face of your Santa run. Real-time sleigh map marker, animated breadcrumb trail, live arrival countdown timer, sponsor banners, and donation links.
Tour Calendar
Full schedule of upcoming tour nights with interactive route preview maps, start times, estimated durations, and local route sponsor acknowledgements.
Town Directory Hub
The platform directory listing all participating towns, Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and Round Table groups. Allows visitors to search and find their local sleigh.
Request New Group
Start a new Santa tracking organization for your town or charity. Choose your unique subdomain slug, organization name, and admin credentials.
Sysadmin Console
Platform administration dashboard for managing multi-tenant groups, provisioning club requests, monitoring system telemetry, and managing server credentials.
Real-Time GPS Telemetry Architecture
The Real-Time Sleigh Pipeline
ClausTrack operates with zero native app installs required. Everything runs in standard mobile web browsers via secure, high-performance HTTP & polling streaming.
How to Set Up Your Community Sleigh Run
Request Your Group & Subdomain
Navigate to /signup to request a new organization profile. Choose a unique subdomain slug (e.g. royston for royston.claustrack.com), enter your club name (e.g. "Royston Lions Club"), and set your admin password.
Upload Routes & Schedule Dates
Log in to your Admin Dashboard (/admin). Under the Routes tab:
- Upload GPX tracks: Export tracks from Strava, OS Maps, Garmin, or Google Earth.
- Set Schedule: Assign the date, planned start time (e.g. 18:00), and estimated duration.
- Sponsors & Images: Add local business sponsors and logos for each specific tour night.
- Multi-Segment / Flexible Routes: Configure dot density, trail colors, and animated waypoint speeds.
Recruit Volunteers & Assign Mandatory Roles
Share your public volunteer link (/volunteer) on social media, newsletters, and club chat groups. In the Admin Dashboard:
- Review incoming applications under the Volunteers tab.
- Approve helpers and assign them to specific tour dates.
- Ensure each route has mandatory roles assigned: 1 Driver, 1 Banksman, 1 Santa, and 1 Lead Elf.
Customize Safety Checklist & Club Branding
Under Admin Settings, configure your pre-flight safety items (e.g., tow hitch locked, flashing beacons on, high-vis vests worn, collection tins sealed). Customize your accent colors, banner logo, and donation page links (JustGiving, SumUp, PayPal, GoFundMe).
Generate Route Preview Posters (A3 / Social)
Use the built-in Map Cover Image Generator in Admin to automatically produce high-resolution route map graphics ready to post to Facebook, Instagram, or print as posters for local shop windows.
Role-Based Instructions & Responsibilities
Route Dispatcher / Admin
Admin Panel: /admin- Activate Night's Route: Select and mark the evening's route as "Active".
- Monitor Telemetry: Watch live driver speed, battery level, and breadcrumb accuracy.
- Broadcast Ticker Messages: Send public weather updates, street delays, and arrival alerts.
- Volunteer Accounting: Override or verify crew presence if mobile sign-ins are unavailable.
Sleigh Driver
Driver Cockpit: /tracker- Mount Phone on Dashboard: Use a secure phone holder with charging cable plugged in.
- Grant GPS Permission: Allow browser "Precise Location" / "Always While in Use".
- Screen Wake Lock: Keep the browser tab open in foreground (Wake Lock prevents screen timeout).
- Start Transmission: Tap "Start GPS Stream" once crew checklist is unlocked.
Sleigh Crew & Elves
Crew Portal: /crew-
Check-In at Muster: Open
/crewon smartphone, select your name and confirm arrival. - Complete Safety Checks: Walk around the sleigh, check lights/hitch, and tick all checklist items.
- Log Bucket Collections: Enter cash and card reader donation totals during and after the run.
- Private Crew Chat: View private messages from dispatch regarding route adjustments.
Event Night Operational Timeline
Muster & Briefing (60 Minutes Before Start)
Crew, Santa, Lead Elf, Banksman, and Drivers assemble at the vehicle depot / muster point.
Vehicle & Sleigh Pre-Flight Inspection
The Lead Elf and Banksman conduct the pre-start safety walkaround:
- Inspect tow ball coupling, breakaway cable, and safety pin.
- Check sleigh decorative fairy lights, sound system, and amber flashing warning beacon.
- Tick each item on the digital checklist in the Crew Portal.
Driver Cockpit Activation & Lockout Release
The driver opens /tracker in their phone browser:
- The Safety Lockout banner turns green once all crew are checked in and the checklist is 100% complete.
- Driver taps "Start GPS Stream".
- The live tracker badge turns from "Offline" to "Live" with green pulsing indicator.
Tour in Progress (Real-Time Run)
Santa travels through the scheduled streets!
- Families watch Santa approach on Live Map.
- Dispatch sends live ticker updates ("Entering Elm Road!", "Rest stop at Market Square").
- Crew can log bucket collections as cash is counted mid-route.
Tour Completion & Wrap-Up
Sleigh returns to depot safely:
- Driver taps "Stop GPS Stream" in Cockpit.
- Admin sets route status to finished and enters final cash / online donation figures.
- Admin posts a thank you announcement to the community via Public Ticker.
Frequently Asked Questions & Diagnostics
ClausTrack includes a mandatory safety lock to prevent the driver from broadcasting before pre-flight checks are finished. The lockout automatically releases when:
- All mandatory crew roles (1 Driver, 1 Banksman, 1 Santa, 1 Lead Elf) have checked in at
/crew(or have been accounted for by an Admin in/admin). - All items on the Pre-Start Safety Checklist have been checked off in
/crew.
Tip: If crew members don't have phones, the Admin can override volunteer accounting directly from the Admin Dashboard.
The Driver Cockpit (/tracker) automatically activates the HTML5 Screen Wake Lock API when you hit "Start GPS Stream". To ensure uninterrupted tracking:
- Keep the browser tab visible and in the foreground.
- On iOS Safari: Ensure "Low Power Mode" is disabled in iOS Settings.
- On Android Chrome: Disable battery optimization for the browser app so the GPS chip stays at full accuracy.
- Keep your device plugged into a 12V in-car USB charger.
ClausTrack supports standard GPX 1.1 tracks (<trkpt> elements) as well as GeoJSON LineStrings. You can export routes directly from:
- Strava: Route Builder -> Export GPX.
- OS Maps / Komoot: Export GPX track.
- Google Earth / My Maps: Export KML and convert to GPX or GeoJSON.
You can also export and import full route packages with timing, dot speeds, and sponsor metadata directly between ClausTrack groups!
In the Admin Dashboard under Branding & Styles, each group can customize their primary accent color, dark mode surface shades, custom organization logo, map tile style (Dark, Carto Voyager, Festive Winter, OpenStreetMap), and custom sleigh marker icons.