Flowing Insight: The All-Powerful Vocabulary of Sankey Charts

In an era where information visualization is key to making sense of data, the Sankey diagram stands as a powerful tool that transforms the flow of energy, water, or material into a stream-of-consciousness representation. Often described as an ‘all-powerful vocabulary’, Sankey charts offer a unique visual syntax that allows for a detailed examination of the quantity and direction of energy or materials moving within a system. This article delves into the nuances of Sankey chart creation and their diverse applications across various fields.

what is a Sankey chart?

The Sankey diagram was first developed in the 19th century by the German mechanical engineer, Karl Sankey. It was initially used to visualise the energy flow within an industrial plant. Since then, its scope has broadened to include a variety of applications in systems analysis, ecology, and more.

Sankey charts are flow diagrams that use directed arrows to represent the quantity of energy, water, or materials flowing through a process from a source to a destination. These charts excel at illustrating the efficiency and throughput of a system, as well as the relative magnitude of each subsystem within it.

How to Create a Sankey Chart

Creating a Sankey chart involves several steps:

1. Identifying the System: Start by defining the system you want to analyze. This could be anything from an industrial process to an ecological system.

2. Delineating Flows: Establish all the flows within the system. Flows can be represented horizontally or vertically, depending on personal preference and the context of the system.

3. Assigning Size to Arrows: The size of the arrows reflects the magnitude of the flow. Thinner arrows indicate slight movements, while wider arrows represent more substantial flows.

4. Dividing Arrows: The arrows from the source to the destination are divided by zones, representing intermediate steps in the process. These zones reveal where energy or materials are being consumed or transformed.

5. Labeling Nodes and Arrows: Label the nodes (the points where arrows start and end) and the arrows to provide clear and intuitive information regarding the flow dynamics.

6. Adjusting the Chart for Readability: It’s important to ensure that the Sankey chart is not overcrowded. Reduce the width of thinner arrows and merge nodes if it helps maintain clarity.

The Vocabulary of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts have a particular vocabulary consisting of core elements:

• Nodes: Representing stages or processes within the system. They are the endpoints of the arrows in the Sankey chart.
• Arrows: The graphical lines that convey the flow through each step within the system. The width of the arrow corresponds to the quantity of flow.
• Tails and Bars: The point at which the arrow starts (the tail, which can sometimes be indicated with a small vertical bar) and the point at which the arrow ends (the destination node).
• Energy Losses or Wastes: These are often illustrated as branches off an arrow, indicating where the energy or material is converted to another form or lost to the environment.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey diagrams have proven to be highly versatile and applicable across a vast array of industries and academic disciplines:

• Industrial Analysis: Assessing the efficiency of energy conversion and material flows in industrial processes.
• Sustainable Development: Helping to visualise the flows of energy and materials to inform sustainable strategy development.
• Environmental Studies: Measuring carbon footprints, air and water quality, and the movement of organisms within ecosystems.
• Logistics: Demonstrating the flows of goods, resources, and information within supply chains.
• Financial Systems: Illustrating the flow of cash and other assets through a financial institution or complex market.

Conclusion

Sankey charts are a powerful way to convey the complex dynamics of systems and their fluxes. With their rich vocabulary and nuanced approach to visualization, these diagrams act as an ‘all-powerful vocabulary,’ elucidating intricate relationships and transformations within the flow of the material or energy. By creating and interpreting Sankey charts, we can better understand, optimize, and innovate within the systems we deal with, leading to more sustainable and efficient outcomes. Whether it’s for analytical purposes or educational materials,Sankey charts are a valuable asset to those who possess the ability to ‘speak the language’ of systems.

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