Flow Visual Simplified: Mastering Sankey Charts with Grace

In the vast landscape of data visualization, few tools encapsulate the art of storytelling like Sankey charts. These elegant and informative diagrams are powerful tools that help us understand complex processes and their energy flows, material transfer, or information exchanges. If you haven’t yet dipped your toes into the world of Sankey charts, it’s time to learn the basics and unlock their potential. In this article, we’ll break down Sankey charts into easily digestible parts, equipping you with the knowledge to master their creation and delve into their numerous applications.

What Are Sankey Charts?

Sankey diagrams, named after their inventor, Dr. Max Schmidl, have been around for over a century and were originally designed to illustrate the energy flow in a power plant. At their core, Sankey charts are flow visualizations; they demonstrate the quantity or magnitude of the substance or energy transferred between systems and processes.

Sankey charts consist of a series of horizontal (or vertical) “arrows” that represent flow. The thickness of each arrow indicates the magnitude of the flow. Sankey diagrams are unique because they allow the viewer to quickly grasp the major sources of waste or the overall efficiency of a process.

Crafting a Sankey Chart: The Art of Flow Visualization

Creating a Sankey chart involves several steps. Here’s a rundown to help you get started:

1. Define Your System:
   Determine the system you wish to monitor. Sankey charts work well for complex processes with multiple sources and destinations.

2. Break Down the System:
   Identify all the components, stages, or activities involved in the system. List these out for each component involved will become a separate flow in the chart.

3. Quantify the Movements:
   Quantify the values of the flow, be it energy, money, materials, or information. The quantity represented by each flow will determine the arrow’s thickness.

4. Construct the Diagram:
   Typically, Sankey diagrams are drawn using software specialized in data visualization. Tools like Microsoft Power BI, Tableau desktop, or web platforms like Sankey.js offer Sankey chart features. Plot your flows as arrows emanating from their starting points and terminating at their endpoints.

5. Maintain Consistency:
   Keep the arrows flowing in a consistent direction and at a right angle to one another to avoid congestion and confusion.

6. Labeling:
   Clearly label each component, including sources, flows, and destinations. This will enhance understanding and help explain the data to others.

Mastering the Grace in Sankey Creation

To create a Sankey chart with grace, here are some additional tips:

• Focus on What Matters:
  Your Sankey chart should not overload with too much information. Focus on illustrating the most crucial aspects of the system, and omit what does not contribute to the story you wish to tell.

• Use Color Wisely:
  Color coding can be a powerful tool. Use it to differentiate distinct categories or to highlight areas of particular interest.

• Be Consistent:
  Maintain consistency in the direction of flow, the direction of arrowheads, and the scale used for values.

• Test for Clarity:
  Clarity is key. View the chart from a distance and see if you can still interpret the flow at a glance. If not, you may need to adjust your presentation.

The Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are incredibly versatile and can be applied across a wide variety of fields:

• Energy Analysis:
  Illustrating the flow of energy through a power system helps assess efficiency and identify areas for improvement.

• Financial Flows:
  Displaying investment or expenditures within an organization can reveal spending patterns and potential misuse of funds.

• Supply Chain Management:
  Sankey diagrams can reveal the material flow of raw materials through the production process to final goods.

• Water Flow:
  Understanding wastewater treatment can be made clearer with a Sankey chart showing where the flow of water and waste goes.

• Environmental Data:
  Illustrating the carbon footprint or water usage from one location or over a period can be more effectively done with a Sankey chart.

In summary, mastering Sankey charts is about understanding their potential to elegantly and intuitively depict complex flows and processes. By following the steps we’ve outlined and combining them with a keen eye for design, you’ll be well on your way to crafting Sankey charts with grace. As you experiment and refine this skill, you’ll uncover new ways to communicate data-driven narratives in your personal or professional work, enhancing the clarity and impact of your information visualizations.

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