The Sankey chart is a great tool for visualizing complex data relationships. In essence, a Sankey chart is a network diagram that uses pipes or arcs to represent the flow of data or material between various components or sources and sinks. In this article, we will explore the creation and applications of Sankey charts to help you better understand their power.
Creating a Sankey Chart
Creating a Sankey chart is relatively easy, especially with the numerous online tools available. You can choose from numerous free or paid Sankey chart tools, such as Microsoft Excel, FusionCharts, or Canva, to get started. For a simpler approach, you can use basic spreadsheet software like Google Sheets, which also supports Sankey chart creation.
In the initial phase, you need to define the categories or sources and sinks you want to represent in your Sankey chart. These categories can come from different sources, including business records, historical data, or data from external sources. Once you have a clear idea of your data categories, you are ready to proceed with the Sankey chart creation process.
The next step is to create your Sankey node (the representation of where the data is coming from or going). In a Sankey chart, you need to create nodes that represent the categories of your data. Each category node must have an id, value, and style, so your chart can be visually distinguishable. You can also add labels to each category node to provide more details about the data category.
To represent the flow of data or material, you need to use data labels or arrows. The data labels represent the value or nature of the data flow. An arrow represents the direction of the flow, allowing you to easily identify the flow between the categories. In addition to basic pipes and arrows, Sankey charting also supports multiple arrows and piping options to allow for more complex data connections.
Application of Sankey Charts
Sankey charts can be used in various fields to visualize complex data relationships clearly. Here are some key areas where Sankey charts can be applied:
– Engineering: For engineers, Sankey charts can help in visualizing data flows in engineering systems like pipelines, circuits, or electrical systems. In addition, it can be used to compare various parts of the system in terms of input/output or flow.
– Healthcare: In healthcare, Sankey charts can help physicians visualize the flow of blood, bloodstreams, or medications in a patient’s body. This can be important in analyzing the treatment processes and identifying bottlenecks.
– Business: In business, Sankey charts can help managers visualize financial flows between vendors, customers, and suppliers. This is useful to determine the efficiency of a company and identify potential growth opportunities.
– Education: In education, Sankey charts can be used to visualize data flows between subjects, topics, or grades. This can help students and teachers understand how different subjects or topics are related to each other.
Conclusion
Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool for complex data relationships. By using basic data labels, arrows, and pipes, you can create highly detailed and informative visualizations. The various characteristics of Sankey charts make it particularly useful for various applications in different sectors. With the growing popularity of data visualization, and the availability of free and easy-to-use tools, Sankey charts have become an essential tool in any visualization project.
Sankey charts provide a visually appealing and easy-to-understand way to show complex data flows, which can greatly aid in decision-making processes. So, it’s high time to make your visualizations more attractive and understandable by switching to Sankey charts.
How can Sankey charts be used in the healthcare industry to analyze the flow of blood in a patient’s body?
SankeyMaster
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