Sankey charts are an incredibly powerful visualization tool for displaying the flow and movement of data or materials between different categories. With their unique layout and design, sankey charts can help users understand complex data and relationships in a way that simple bar or line charts cannot. In this article, we will delve into the world of sankey charts – their creation, applications, and how they can revolutionize the way you visualize data.

What are Sankey Charts?

A Sankey diagram is a type of flow diagram named after the Scottish engineer and inventor Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey. This type of chart uses arrows or bands to represent the movement of data between different categories. Each band is proportional in width to the value it represents. The bands are color-coded to differentiate between categories, making it easy to track flows between different stages or categories.

How to Create Sankey Charts

Creating a sankey chart involves several steps, including data preparation, setting up the chart in a visualization tool, and customizing the appearance. Here’s a basic step-by-step guide:

1. Collect and Prepare Data

• Gather data that details flows between categories. This typically includes an origin category, an end category, and the amount of flow or quantity.
• Clean the data by removing any inconsistencies or irrelevant entries.

2. Choose a Visualization Tool

• Select a tool that can handle tree maps and flow diagrams, such as Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, or Python libraries like Plotly or Bokeh.

3. Input Your Data

• Import your data into the tool, making sure to categorize the flow origin, destination, and quantity.

4. Create the Chart

• Use the tool’s features to create a sankey chart:
  • Map the origin and destination categories.
  • Assign colors and line widths according to the flow data.
  • Adjust the layout and aesthetics for readability.

5. Customize and Analyze

• Enhance the chart with tooltips, legends, or filters to make it more interactive and informative.
• Analyze the chart to understand patterns, bottlenecks, or dominant flows.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts have diverse applications across various fields due to their ability to represent complex flows and dependencies visually:

Business Analytics

• Analyze customer journeys on websites or the flow of sales through different departments.
• Visualize supply chain movements, identifying potential areas for optimization.

Energy and Environmental Studies

• Map energy consumption between sub-sources and destinations, improving efficiency and sustainability.
• Track water usage or pollution dispersion across regions or processes.

Network Analysis

• Display information flows within computer networks or social media interactions.
• Understand traffic patterns in transportation networks.

Economics

• Analyze trade routes and the flow of goods between countries, revealing global trade dependencies.
• Show the distribution and movement of financial flows, such as money investments or transactions.

Sankey charts offer a visually engaging way to represent complex data relationships, making them a valuable tool for data analysts, researchers, and decision-makers. By leveraging the power of sankey charts, you can uncover insights that might be hidden in traditional tabular data, making informed decisions based on a comprehensive view of data flows and dependencies.

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.