In addition, the city has been working to aggregate data from building permits, crime reports and other documents and display it on maps through the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. The IT team is also expanding the functionality of self-service kiosks for city residents, to automate processes such as applying for building permits.

The GIS data, which can be accessed from a Web-based user interface, lets city officials easily see where reconstruction activity is the strongest, based on factors such as the number of building permits being issued, Kurt said. He added that workers can also view information about the number of calls for city services, such as requests for street maintenance -- which gives them an indication of where people are living.

Now the city wants to add property and sales tax data as well as information about nuisance-property complaints to the GIS tool, according to Kurt. "Being in technology, it's certainly not my job to plan how the city rebuilds," he said. But, he added, the data-mapping work should help New Orleans officials make decisions on key issues, "from what schools you decide to open to where you put police officers."

Talley said that using the hot-site setup in Austin will be much less expensive than it would have been to work with a disaster recovery vendor. New Orleans officials also hope to get reimbursed for some of the new IT costs under federal assistance programs.