Sankey charts, also known as Sankey diagrams, are a type of Flow diagram that represent the movement of a “flow” through a system. Unlike other types of flow diagrams, Sankey charts visually represent the quantity of flow between different points in the system by using arrows and thicknesses that correspond to the volume of flow.

These charts are named after Captain Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey, a British engineer who is credited with utilizing the first Sankey diagram in the mid-19th century to represent the energy efficiency of a steam engine. Sankey diagrams have since been used in a wide variety of applications, including energy systems, economic models, and environmental studies.

Creating a Sankey Chart:

Creating a Sankey chart involves several steps:

1. Preparing The Data: The first thing you need to do is gather the data that you want to visualize in your chart. This data should include the flow’s origins, destinations, and the volume or quantity of the flow. You can represent the sources of flow as nodes or boxes, while the destinations are represented by arrows originating from these nodes. The arrow’s thickness can then correspond to the magnitude of the flow.

2. Choosing a Tool: You can create Sankey charts using various tools such as Microsoft Excel, Tableau, R, Python libraries like Plotly and Matplotlib, and specialized online tools like Sankeyviz and Sankey diagrams.

3. Designing the chart:

   • Node: Decide where the nodes (representing different stages or processes in your system) will be placed (in a line, in series, or in an array).
   • Edges (Arrows): Choose the direction and angles of your edges or arrows to represent the flow or movement from one node to the other. You may also want to adjust the line thickness in the chart to visually convey the volume of the flow between nodes.
   • Labels: Provide labels for nodes, edges, and the overall chart to make it informative and easy to understand. This includes using meaningful labels for your data points, as well as providing a legend to clarify what the chart represents.

4. Adding aesthetics: Finally, apply colors to nodes or edges to provide visual differentiation and enhance the clarity of the data. Consistent color usage in nodes representing similar data and distinct colors for different layers or flows can help improve readability.

Applications of Sankey Charts:

Sankey charts can be used in a multitude of applications across different domains, including but not limited to:

Energy Systems: Sankey diagrams are particularly useful in visualizing the generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of energy within a system. By showing how energy moves through various sectors, such as electricity production from coal, gas, nuclear, and renewable sources, these diagrams help identify areas for energy conservation and sustainability improvements.

Economic Models: In economics, Sankey charts can clarify complex relationships between sectors, industries, and commodities in a supply chain or market. By depicting how goods, labor, capital, and financial flows interact, these diagrams provide insights into the overall economic structure, as well as the impact of changes in policy or market forces.

Environmental Studies: They are employed in environmental science to model the recycling and transformation of resources. Sankey diagrams can be used to show the sources, paths, and fates of pollutants or waste products through a system, as well as the efficiency of resource utilization and potential for conservation efforts.

Healthcare: Sankey charts can represent the flow of patients through different stages of diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes within a healthcare system. By identifying bottlenecks or inefficiencies in patient throughput, these diagrams inform effective operational improvements.

Supply Chain Analysis: In logistics and manufacturing, Sankey charts highlight the flow of materials, inventory, and products between various stages in the supply chain. By illustrating potential redundancies or bottlenecks, these diagrams assist in optimizing supply routes and inventory management, ultimately leading to cost savings and enhanced efficiency.

In conclusion, Sankey charts are an essential tool for analyzing and visualizing the flow of resources, energy, materials, and information in a data-driven, efficient, and effective manner across numerous industries and applications. By leveraging these visual representations, stakeholders can uncover insights, make informed decisions, and optimize operations in their respective domains.

SankeyMaster

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