Tired of circling for an open spot? So is Google.

Google Labs released Open Spot, an Android application that helps users find open parking spots.

"Open Spot works by letting people who are leaving parking spots share their spots with people who are searching for parking," the search giant says. "Start helping others find parking, and together we'll all save time, save gas, and reduce pollution."

And there is good news if you're the competitive type: the more open spots you mark, the more parking "karma points" you get. I wonder if users will eventually start becoming mayors of their spots on foursquare.

The problem is, there have been hardly any developments on it since 2010, and a quick look at the discussion board reveals that it never had a large user base. I installed the app on my phone and, sadly, did not find a single open space in Indianapolis. Whether this is because app support has sputtered and died or simply because the user base isn't big enough yet, I'm not sure.

Open source, user-generated parking data is an intriguing and promising notion. Some vendors have similar functionality already, but only for their own systems, and nobody offers such smooth GPS wayfinding capabilities as Google Maps.

Nice try, Google! Better luck next time?