We've all faced the problem having to go somewhere in a city, and then driving around trying to find somewhere to park only to encounter endless "Lot Full" signs. Finally, you end up parking some distance from where you need to be and having to walk and you show up late for your appointment. Parking Carma is working on a solution. They are developing a database of parking facilities in cities all over the US. You can go to their website, put in the location you are going to and find all the nearby lots.

So far that's mildly helpful since you can also find parking lots with programs like Google Earth. Parking Carma differs in that they are signing up lot owners to provide real-time information about available parking spaces. Drivers who sign up for the premium service can use the net or a phone to call up and reserve and pay for a parking space at the closest available location. The service will provide detailed direction on how to get to the lot. The service will cost $9.95 a year plus $2-3 in addition to the parking fee for each reserved spot. Anyone can look up the location of parking lots on the Parking Carma site free of charge.

[Source: Parking Carma]