Boston firms look for business in empty parking spaces

Two local companies are partnering to create technology that will help drivers find available parking spots on crowded streets.

Tele Atlas NV of Boston, which creates digital maps of cities, and SpotScout Inc., a Cambridge mobile software company, said they plan to create a system in which drivers will be able to locate spots using their mobile devices. A person who owns, leases or is currently in a parking spot but is about to leave it would "spotcast" the location of their spot using their own mobile device, and then someone who needed it could reserve the space.

Boston-based digital mapping company Tele Atlas NV and Cambridge-based mobile application provider SpotScout Inc. report they are partnering to develop a parking availability platform based on Tele Atlas' digital map data and the spread of social networking via digital media.

Financial terms of the agreement were not provided.
(By Keith Reed, Globe staff)