Powerful Pipes: Crafting Data Flow Stories with Sankey Charts

Sankey diagrams, popularized in the 19th century by Sankey’s observations of steam engines, are a powerful tool for visualizing data flow and process throughput across systems, from energy transfers in power plants and industrial processes to the flow of information in data analytics. They elegantly depict the volume (or amount) of data that moves from one step to another, allowing for an intuitive understanding of complex data relationships. In today’s data-driven world, Sankey charts have become an indispensable component in communicating data flow stories, making them a valuable asset in diverse fields and industries.

Crafting a Sankey Chart

Crafting a Sankey chart involves several steps: planning your data structure, organizing your flow (or sequence), adding and positioning your nodes (or steps), and finally, displaying your flows (or the amount of data moving from one step to the next). Let’s walk through these steps with a simple example: a hypothetical water purification plant.

1. Plan Your Data Structure: Imagine we’re looking at the water purification process. The source data could be as simple as inflows of raw water, water used in the purification process, and the output of purified water. This might look like:

   • Raw Water Inflow: 100,000 liters
   • Water Used for Purification: 90% of inflows
   • Purified Water Inflow: 10% of inflows

2. Organize Your Flow (Sequence): The flow in this example is straightforward: raw water in at the start, water used in the process, and purified water out at the end. This sequence is crucial for understanding the data’s movement.

3. Add and Position Your Nodes (Steps): The nodes represent each step (in this case, the raw water inflow, water used for purification, and purified water outflow). These nodes are positioned in the order of the process, with raw water inflow at the start and purified water outflow at the end.

4. Display Your Flows (Amounts): The flows between these nodes represent the volumes of water that move through each step. The size of the pipes (or flows) in a Sankey diagram is proportional to the amount of data that moves between each step. In our example:

   • Raw water in => Water used for purification: 90,000 liters (90% of the inflow)
   • Water used for purification => Purified water out: 10,000 liters (10% of the inflow)

Applications of Sankey Diagrams

Sankey diagrams are versatile and can be applied across multiple domains:

• Energy Sector: Sankey diagrams are often used to illustrate energy flows through systems, from power plants and industries to entire energy networks.

• Economic Analysis: They can be used to analyze the flow of money within and between economies, showing GDP, investment, or exports and imports.

• Stream Data Analysis: In digital analytics and marketing, Sankey diagrams can visualize the flow of traffic through a website, displaying engagement with different pages or content.

• Environmental Science: These diagrams are used to study pollutant or nutrient flows through ecosystems, helping to understand pollution sources and pathways.

Conclusion

Sankey charts are more than just a visualization tool; they are a storytelling device through which data flow and process efficiency can be communicated with clarity and efficiency. Whether used in scientific research, business analytics, or data journalism, Sankey diagrams make complex data relationships accessible to anyone who understands basic graph reading. The “powerful pipes” of data flow stories are crafted with precision and can serve as valuable resources for decision-making and public education. As data volumes continue to grow, so too will the importance of tools like Sankey diagrams in making sense of the world’s information.

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.