Flowing Visual Harmony: Discover the Charm of Sankey Diagrams
Introduction
In the age of information overload, data visualization stands out as a crucial tool for making sense of complex datasets. Among the varied forms of data visualization are Sankey diagrams, which offer a unique and intuitive way to represent the flow of items or energy within a system. This article explores the charm of Sankey diagrams, their creation principles, and diverse applications.
What is a Sankey Diagram?
Imagine a stream flowing serenely through a landscape, meandering through various forms, splitting into tributaries, and reuniting into a single flowing entity. This natural imagery is the essence of a Sankey diagram, which uses arrows that thicken when they carry a lot of “quantity” (mass, volume, electric current, money…), thin when the quantity is small, and straight when the flow is constant.
Each vector within a Sankey diagram represents a flow, typically energy, materials, or money, while the width of the vector signifies the extent of the flow. The overall structure of a Sankey diagram provides a visual summary of a system’s processes, making it clear where materials or energy flow and where they are lost in the system.
Creation of Sankey Diagrams
Creating a Sankey diagram involves several steps:
1. Data Preparation
First, gather the data you want to represent in the Sankey diagram. You need to determine what flows and through what channels, and how these flows change over time or due to certain events.
2. Define the Nodes
Identify the start and end points of each flow. Nodes represent the points where flows enter, exit, or split and combine within your system.
3. Establish the Flow Directions
Decide the routes and connections between the nodes, and where the flow is directed. This step is crucial. Flows within the Sankey diagram should be as direct as possible to avoid confusion.
4. Determine the Flow widths
Assign a width to each stream based on the quantity of flow they represent. The key is to ensure that the widths are meaningful and consistent; they can be directly proportionate to the amounts being transported or consumed.
5. Select the Charting Tool
Choose a suitable Sankey diagram tool. There are numerous freeware and paid software options available, such as Microsoft Excel, Google Charts, Python matplotlib, and commercial tools like Sankey Lab or yEd Graph Editor. Each tool offers unique features, ranging from ease of use to flexibility and customization.
6. Generate the Sankey Diagram
Use the chosen tool to input your data and generate the Sankey diagram by connecting nodes and setting the widths of the flows. Ensure that the diagram is readable and visually appealing by maintaining consistent legends and proper orientation.
Applications of Sankey Diagrams
Sankey diagrams have a wide range of applications across various fields. Here are some notable examples:
1. Energy Systems
Sankey diagrams are particularly effective in representing energy systems, showing how and where energy is used and lost.
2. Material Flow Analysis
They can illustrate the movement of materials, revealing where resources enter and leave a process, which is crucial for improving resource efficiency.
3. Financial Flows
Their visual clarity makes Sankey diagrams perfect for depicting the flow of money through organizations or between financial systems.
4. Environmental Impact Analysis
Sankey diagrams help in understanding the environmental impact of processes—such as production lines—by highlighting the areas that contribute most to emissions and waste.
5. Business Analytics
They are used in business analytics to show the journey of a customer or the flow of information within a company.
6. Biological and Physical Systems
Sankey diagrams are used in biology to track the flow of nutrients and energy through ecosystems or the human body. In physics, they may represent the flow of particles or waves.
Closing Thoughts
Sankey diagrams are more than just a data visualization tool; they offer a flow of visual harmony that allows both experts and non-experts to grasp complex concepts quickly. With their ability to reveal where systems are inefficient and where optimizations can occur, Sankey diagrams may just be one of the most underappreciated but potentially transformative assets in the data visualization toolkit. Embrace the charm of Sankey diagrams, and you’ll find your understanding of complex flow patterns transformed—meandering into clarity and insight.
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.
