Browsing by Author "Tobin, Graham A"

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    Geographic Information Systems: A Feasibility Study for the City of Duluth Police Department.
    (1993) Tobin, Graham A; Fleischman, William A; Kroll, Karen
    A Geographic Information System (GIS) does not currently exist in the Duluth Police Department. The objective of this project is to determine the feasibility of employing a GIS to unprove the Duluth Police Department's ability to identify patterns of criminal activity, to represent those patterns graphically, and to use the information to facilitate the management of departmental resources. As a result of this study, we recommend the implementation of a Geographic Information System. This recommendation is based on our findings which reveal that: (1) the Duluth Police Department's data capturing and analysis systems utilize outdated hardware and software that will soon be obsolete, (2) the current records management system is reasonably compatible with a geographically based management system, (3) the emergency management systems are structured in such a way so as to make the transition to a GIS oriented process manageable, and (4) GIS based procedures are being used by other agencies as efficient and effective means for managing crime prevention and crime resolution and for managing agency fiscal, material, and personnel resources. The present systems can be modified to a GIS, since they have the basic elements already in place. Both those systems associated with the Duluth Police Department and those connected with the 911 System can be used for developing a GIS that will provide for the needs of DPD and will provide a basis for use by other agencies dispensing emergency related services in the area.
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    Ruffe: A Ballast Water Survey. Summary Report.
    (Duluth: Center for Community & Regional Research, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota., 1998) Tobin, Graham A; Bonfigt, Susan; Gunderson, Jeffrey L; Jensen, Doug
    Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus), a non-indigenous species of North America, has been found at several locations in Lake Superior. This presents a serious problem, since the species has the potential to invade and subsequently disrupt valuable fisheries throughout the lake and eventually to migrate to the other Great Lakes, where additional problems might arise. Because of these concerns, measures are now being discussed as to how to contain the distribution of the species to a few locations. It seems highly likely that ruffe entered the lake in ballast water discharged from ships that had previously docked in Europe. This study was designed to examine the patterns of ballast water intake and discharge from shipping using the Duluth/Superior Harbor. The work was completed in 1996, since when, of course, there has been a substantial increase in the literature on the topic of exotic species � in the Great Lakes. All ships visiting the harbor in 1992 were surveyed and the owners were asked to provide information on ship movements and ballast water transportation. Over 1,000 ship visits were recorded during the shipping season. While the survey was supported by various shipping associations, the response to the questionnaire was not stellar, hence the details on ballast water usage, that are discussed in this report, must be treated with caution. The trends outlined here may be indicative of a general pattern, but until more work is done in this area, caveat emptor. Nevertheless, given the tremendous amount of inter- and intralake trade and the large quantities of ballast water moved from port to port, it seems inevitable that the ruffe will eventually spread to other sites throughout the Great Lakes.
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    Two Harbors: Perceptions and Concerns for the 21st Century. A Community Survey.
    (Center for Community & Regional Research, University of Minnesota, Duluth., 1996) Tobin, Graham A; Goerdt, Lynn M; Bonfigt, Susan
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    Water Quality and Land Use Relationships in the St. Louis Bay Area of Concern: A Study of Three Urban Watersheds in Duluth, Minnesota.
    (Center for Community & Regional Research, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, Duluth., 1996) Fredrickson, Brian L; Tobin, Graham A
    European settlement and industrialization has profoundly changed the water quality and aquatic ecosystems of the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Virtually untreated municipal and industrial wastes were dumped into the Lakes from the late 1800s to 1960. Fisheries were exploited and forests were felled to provide growing Great Lakes communities with agricultural land and wood products. In the 1970s, an era of environmental consciousness was ushered in with the passage of the Clean Water Act and the signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Significant water quality improvements were achieved under these authorities through regulatory and voluntary point source pollution control programs. In spite of these successes, however, water quality remains impaired in many parts of the Great Lakes and its tributaries. These impairments are due in part to the plethora of diffuse or non-point sources of pollution. This report explores linkages between water quality, land use, environmental law, and the geological characteristics of three small urban watersheds in Duluth, Minnesota. The three urban watersheds, Miller Creek, Knowleton Creek, and Kingsbury Creek, reported in this study were selected because they contain different land use patterns. Water quality data suggest that pollutants found in national storm water studies were also in evidence in the most developed watershed, Miller Creek, while trace metal concentrations were generally lower in all three watersheds. Suspended solids concentrations in the Miller Creek Watershed of 117 to 254 mg/I indicate a rapidly developing drainage basin. Significant gaps were also detected between the purpose and applicability of key environmental and water resource protection laws. Competing interests reflected in society are present in the intent and organization of these laws. Historical records suggest that Duluth streams are generally prone to flooding problems; flooding and the conveyance of storm water pollutants continue to be exacerbated by the area's rapid growth, steep slopes, bedrock channels, small drainage basins, and thin soil.