In an attempt to widen the extent of location-based it offers to the users of its mobile handsets, Nokia - which had recently taken over mobile browsing firm Novarra - has acquired location services vendor MetaCarta.

The 30-employees firm MetaCarta deals with software that can extract documents from a content management system's repository and display them in an online map that can be easily viewed on a mobile handset.

Citing an example of the MetaCarta service, BusinessWeek elaborated that the "NewsMap" app searches a news article; extracts the places mentioned therein; and finally superimposes that particular area on a digital map.

The MetaCarta technologies - essentially delivered either as a Web service or an on-premise appliance, or a hosted appliance - comprise Geosearch technology and Geotag technology. While the former can find content, data and information pertaining to a specific area and present it in a single view; the latter can help find geographic references in diverse content, which can thereafter be used in other applications.

Refraining from the disclosure of the financial aspects of the MetaCarta acquisition, Nokia said in a brief statement: "MetaCarta's technology will be used in the area of local search in location and other services."

In fact, Nokia has evidently been endeavoring to expand its foothold in the location-based services arena since 2007, when it acquired map data specialist Navteq for $8.1 billion.