https://deparkes.co.uk/Collections of thoughts, writing and guides from deparkes 2026-02-15T20:10:33+00:00 Duncan Parkes https://deparkes.co.uk/ Jekyll © 2026 Duncan Parkes /assets/img/favicons/favicon.ico /assets/img/favicons/favicon-96x96.png 2022-12-02T16:47:46+00:00 2026-02-14T23:06:49+00:00 https://deparkes.co.uk/2022/12/02/nodal-points/ deparkes

In geography a nodal point is the point at which different transport links come together. Nodal points are sometimes referred to as route centres. Nodal Point Examples Examples of nodal points include roads arriving together, a confluence of rivers or a rail junction. Nodal Points - Examples Nodal points are often associated with settlement sites...

2022-09-25T06:19:21+01:00 2026-02-14T23:06:49+00:00 https://deparkes.co.uk/2022/09/25/extract-data-from-maps-qgis/ deparkes

In this blog post I’ll show you how to extract data from maps using QGIS to georeference a map image and identify data points. The steps are: Start with a map image containing data you want to capture, such as marked locations Add a base map to QGIS that you will load the map image on to Import the map image and 'georeference' to get correct alignment Create a data layer in QGIS and select dat...

2022-09-05T18:46:11+01:00 2026-02-14T23:06:49+00:00 https://deparkes.co.uk/2022/09/05/wargaming-campaigns/ deparkes

Playing wargames as part of a campaign is a good way to make them more interesting and compelling. Setting up wargaming campaigns can seem intimidating, but thankfully there are some standard approaches that can be used. This post describes some common ways wargaming campaigns are run as well as some examples where you can see how they work in more detail. Many of the examples in this post are...

2022-09-05T17:59:35+01:00 2026-02-14T23:06:49+00:00 https://deparkes.co.uk/2022/09/05/ww2-unit-frontages/ deparkes

The frontage of a unit is the length of the front line that a unit is responsible for. In this post I have summarised the approximate frontages for a range of world war two units, from a section of around 10 men up to a division of around 10,000 men. WW2 Unit Frontages The summary of WW2 unit frontages is in the schematic below. There’s not too much to highlight at this stage other than that th...

2022-07-24T16:34:45+01:00 2026-02-14T23:06:49+00:00 https://deparkes.co.uk/2022/07/24/python-plugin-architecture/ deparkes

A plugin architecture is a way of achieving flexiblity, encapsulation, extensibility as well as other principles of good software design. This post shows how you can achieve a python plugin architecture using the importlib library. There are some similarities with other concepts such as pipes and filters. 'Project' Plugins vs 'External' Plugins In this post I’m considering two situations: 'Pro...