Streamline Your Data Story with the Ebb and Flow of Sankey Sorcery
In the data visualization universe, where charts and graphs are the architects of numeric narratives, the Sankey diagram has silently emerged as a master craftsman’s tool. A Sankey diagram, otherwise known as a Sankey chart, is a type of flow diagram used to visualize the quantative relationships of the various components of a system, such as amounts of flow, energy, or costs. Their unique ability to depict the ebb and flow of resources or processes makes them a preferred choice when you want to tell a comprehensive data story with clarity and precision.
The Mechanics of Sankey Sorcery: Crafting a Sankey Chart
The beauty of a Sankey chart lies in its simplicity and its complex representation. The creation of a Sankey chart involves several critical components:
1. Nodes and Links:
Every Sankey chart is built upon a network of nodes (typically boxes or rectangles), which represent items or elements within a system, and links (arrows), depicting the flows between these items. These links are typically represented by horizontal or diagonal lines, with their width corresponding to the amount of material, energy, or other entities flowing through them.
2. Flow Consistency:
The thickness of the links in a Sankey chart is proportional to the actual flow rates—thicker lines denote higher flows, and thinner lines indicate lower flows, maintaining a consistent scale throughout the chart. The total width of all incoming links equals the total width of all outgoing links, a constraint known as mass conservation.
3. Direction and Directionality:
By convention, Sankey charts typically flow from left to right, though this order can vary based on the context of the story you wish to convey. The flow should reflect the direction of the main transfer or process within your data.
4. Scale:
Sankey charts often scale the flows so that their widths are proportional to the quantity of materials, power, or money being represented. The scale is adjusted such that the chart communicates the relative magnitudes of the flows among different points in the system.
Creating a Sankey chart involves several steps:
Step 1: Data Preparation
In the context of your data storytelling, gather the necessary data, ensuring you have accurate measures for the flows between different nodes in your system.
Step 2: Sankey Chart Software
Choose the right Sankey chart creation tool for your needs. There is a wide variety of software available, including Tableau, Excel, and specialized diagramming tools like Sigma.js or d3 Sankey.
Step 3: Customize Nodes and Links
Map your data to nodes and links. Customize your design to fit your story’s narrative, choosing colors, labels, and any other attributes for clarity.
Step 4: Layout and Design
The Sankey chart layout algorithm calculates the placement of nodes and links based on the constraints of flow direction and mass conservation. It is important to let the design algorithm work to ensure the chart is visually accurate.
The Applications of Sankey Sorcery
Sankey charts are versatile and can be applied in numerous fields to tell a wide variety of data stories, such as:
Energy Analysis:
Visualizing energy efficiency in power plants, illustrating the flow of energy in a complex energy system such as electrical generation and distribution, or analyzing fuel consumption patterns across different transportation modes.
Financial Flows:
Tracking investment flows, illustrating the budget allocation within an organization, or visualizing the financial performance of a company’s products or services.
Environmental Impact:
Documenting the flow of resources in a closed-loop system, like a manufacturing process with recycling rates, or the waste generation process.
Supply Chains:
Visualizing the flow of goods between producers, suppliers, and consumers, or showing how raw materials convert into finished products.
Transportation Networks:
Presenting the movement of goods or people across a region or between countries, highlighting points of high traffic or inefficiency.
Concluding the Narrative
The Sankey chart is more than just a visual tool; it is an essential component of a well-crafted data story. By harnessing the ebb and flow of Sankey sorcery, you can make the complexities of your data understandable and engaging. It’s no wonder that data storytellers look to Sankey diagrams as the conduit for conveying the intricacies and beauty of data transitions. So, embrace the Sankey art of visualization and streamline your data narratives through the powerful sorcery of Sankey diagrams.
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.
