There are many ways to visualize data, but no chart has captured public interest more than Sankey charts. These charts, which are commonly referred to as flow charts, have been used for over a century, but have only begun to gain popularity in recent years. In this article, we will explore the history of Sankey charts and their use in data visualization.
Sankey charts are based on the principle of flow rates, which describes how flows of matter or energy move from one source to another. These charts have been widely used in academic and scientific fields, as well as in the business world to visualize the flow of information and data. In recent years, they have gained popularity in the field of data visualization, where they can be used to present complex data sets in an intuitive and understandable way.
The use of Sankey charts goes back to the early 1900s when they were first introduced at the British Association for the Advancement of Science on October 7, 1905, in a presentation titled “On the Study of Mixture Problems.” At the conference, the presenter, Charles S. Dillaman, used the idea of flow charts to explain his work on the theory of mixture problems. Dillaman’s idea was to visualize the flow of matter through a mixture by drawing lines between sources and sinks.
Sankey charts have been used in several areas of interest, including medicine, law, engineering, and environmental science, and have been used to create flow charts for a wide range of applications. In the field of medicine, for example, doctors use flow charts to visualize disease processes, while lawyers use them to explain the flow of evidence and arguments in a case. In engineering, flow charts are used to visualize the flow of fluid through various systems, and in environmental science flow charts are used to visualize the flow of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the atmosphere.
One of the strengths of Sankey charts is that they can be used to visualize complex data sets. In contrast to other charts such as bar charts or pie charts, Sankey charts can show the flow of energy or information in a particular direction, which can help to visualize the relationships between different data sources and sinks. Another strength of Sankey charts is that they are easy to read and understand, as they use simple symbols and colors to represent the different flow rates. This makes it easy for viewers to grasp the principles of flow charts and understand how they can be used to visualize data.
Sankey charts are not only used for visualizing complex data sets, but they are also used to identify patterns and relationships between data sets. For example, if you have a set of data that describes the flow of goods from a factory to different customers, a Sankey chart can show you the different sources, destinations, and flow rates for each goods flow. This can help you understand where the goods are coming from, where they are going, and how they are moving through the system.
In conclusion, Sankey charts have been used to visualize data for over a century, but have only recently begun to gain popularity in the field of data visualization. These charts have the ability to visualize complex data sets in an intuitive and understandable way, and they can be used to identify patterns and relationships between data sets. As the field of data visualization continues to grow, Sankey charts will likely become an increasingly popular tool for presenting data. If you want to take a deeper dive into the world of Sankey charts, there are a number of online resources available to help you get started, including the Sankey Charting Website and the Sankey Visualization Software.

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