Creating Sankey Charts
Sankey charts are flow diagrams that depict the movement of goods, data, or information. They are named after its creator,Wallet Sankey, and consist of a series of blocks that represent the flow of energy and costs (e.g., fuel), costs and profits (e.g., expenses and revenues), or similar metrics over time.
Each block shows the net movement of a particular energy flow within the system. The length of each edge within the chart is proportional to the amount of energy flowing in and out of a specific node. In other words, the larger the flow, the longer the line connecting two nodes. Sankey charts provide insights into the structure of a complex system by visually summarizing the flows between various components.
For example, a Sankey chart can represent the energy consumption of a home’s appliances. Each appliance would be a node, and the edges depicting the energy flow from the power source to the appliance. The lengths of these edges would show the energy consumption of each appliance—for instance, a refrigerator might be represented by a longer vertical line than a light bulb.
Applications of Sankey Charts
The flow nature of these charts allows analysts to easily understand the relative importance of various flows and the cumulative impact they have on a project or organization. Below are a few examples of real-world applications for Sankey charts:
- Energy Consumption and Efficiency: Companies use Sankey charts to track and analyze the energy flow within their operations and equipment to reduce energy waste. By mapping the entire sequence of energy flows in a facility, companies can identify areas where efficiencies can be improved.
- Transportation and Logistics: Sankey charts map out the flow of goods and materials to understand the distribution and efficiency of transportation systems. This is particularly applicable in logistics and supply chain management where transporting materials from one place to another requires a significant amount of resources.
- Economics and Business: In business, Sankey charts help visualize the net income flow through different stages of production and distribution, thus allowing managers to make informed decisions. They are also used to represent value flow within an organization and identify potential inefficiencies.
- Environmental Impact: Researchers use Sankey charts to track and represent the full life cycle of products, from their raw materials extraction and manufacturing process through to disposal and recycling, which helps to understand the environmental impact of consumer products.
- Financial Planning: They can illustrate capital distribution and profit flow in multiple investment portfolios of a financial entity, which aids in decision-making and budgeting.
To Sum Up
The beauty of the Sankey chart lies in its visual simplicity that aids in simplifying complex data. While traditional bar and pie charts are used to represent data in two dimensions, the third dimension represented in the flow of Sankey charts allows for a more precise representation of how data changes over time. They are a useful tool for anyone engaged in data analysis or visual communication of information. They tell the dynamic narrative of data effortlessly.
SankeyMaster
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