Sankey charts are a special type of flow chart that are designed to visualize the flow of a quantity between different categories. Unlike traditional flow charts, which simply show the direction of the flow, Sankey charts use the width of the arrows to visually represent the magnitude of the flow.
These charts are especially useful for demonstrating how a quantity is divided or combined as it passes through a series of stages or locations, and how the quantity is distributed between these different stages or locations.

Creating Sankey Charts

To create a Sankey chart, you’ll need data that includes information about the source, sink, and flow between different nodes or categories. This data can come from a variety of sources, including databases, spreadsheets, or even manually inputted information.

You’ll also need a visualization tool or software that is capable of creating Sankey charts. There are plenty of tools available, both free and paid, that can create these types of charts. Some popular options include:

• R (with packages like sankeychartR or ggraph, or using ggplot2 with geom_flow)
• Python (with libraries like plotly or NetworkX)
• Excel (using online converters or additional add-ins like Plotly)
• Tableau (built-in Sankey chart capability)
• Custom web applications (using frameworks and libraries for web development)

Once you have your data and visualization tool, the process usually involves:
1. Importing your data into the tool.
2. Configuring your data to match the required format (source, target, and value for each edge of the Sankey diagram).
3. Setting up the visual aspects like colors, labels, and layout.
4. Generating the chart and refining it as necessary to ensure clarity and readability.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts have a wide range of applications, including:

1. Energy or Material Flows: Showing how energy is conserved or how materials are dispersed or transformed in processes like coal to electricity conversion or industrial production.

2. Web Analytics: Demonstrating the flow of traffic from different sources, like search engines, social media, and referral sites, to various pages on a website.
   

3. Financial Flows: Mapping financial transactions, like how investments move through different sectors of the economy or the flow of money between various companies from loans or dividends.

4. Healthcare Systems: Showing the flow of patients through different stages of a healthcare process, such as the journey from hospitalization to medical treatment and finally to discharge.

5. Education: Illustrating the flow of students from pre-university studies (like secondary and vocational education) into higher education institutions or directly into employment or apprenticeships.

Unleashing the Power of Sankey Charts

When used effectively, Sankey charts can be incredibly powerful tools for communication and decision-making. They can help you:

• Identify patterns and trends: By visualizing flow amounts, you may notice patterns, such as which sources or destinations have the highest or lowest flow.
• Compare data: If you have multiple sources of data or time periods, you can use different colors, opacity levels, or grouping techniques to compare various aspects of your data.
• Communicate complex relationships: Sankey charts can make it easier to understand how different parts of a system are interconnected and how changes can affect the overall system.
• Engage your audience: The visually appealing nature of Sankey diagrams can make complex data more easily comprehensible and intriguing, boosting audience engagement.

Remember, the key to success with Sankey charts is a well-organized and thoughtfully curated data set, as well as a clear design that highlights the most important aspects of the data being presented. By leveraging these charts, you can unlock deeper insights and strengthen your ability to communicate with your audience effectively.

SankeyMaster

SankeyMaster is your go-to tool for creating complex Sankey charts . Easily enter data and create Sankey charts that accurately reveal intricate data relationships.