Nokia buys mapping firm MetaCarta

Handset giant snaps up another location specialist

Nokia has added to its mapping portfolio

Nokia has announced an agreement to acquire privately held MetaCarta, a US-based mapping specialist.

The 30-employee company develops software that collects location data and organises information about specific location points, as well as correlating web data with location tags.

Nokia said that it will use the acquisition to bolster its local search and location offerings. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

MetaCarta represents Nokia's second major mapping acquisition, following the purchase of Navteq in November 2007.

The Navteq deal gave Nokia an in-house navigation service, and put increased pressure on rival navigation vendors such as TomTom.

Nokia is also in the process of acquiring Novarra, a software vendor specialising in mobile browsers and platforms.