Sankey Charts: Visualizing Flows like Never Before

Sankey charts are a unique and powerful data visualization tool that helps users understand complex relationships and flows between data points. These charts provide a visual representation of connections and the magnitude of interactions or movements, making it easier to identify patterns and trends. In this article, we will delve into the creation and applications of sankey charts.

What are Sankey Charts?

Sankey charts, named after John Gaylord Sankey, are a flow diagram that illustrates the distribution and flow of quantities between components. The chart employs two key elements:

1. Nodes: These are often represented as rectangular blocks and denote values or entities in the flow.
2. Links: These are represented as arrows or lines of varying widths. The width of the link signifies the magnitude of the flow between connected nodes.

Sankey charts are particularly useful for visualizing:

• Energy consumption and conservation
• Data pipelines and transmission of information
• Resource allocation and distribution processes
• Financial flows and portfolio management
• Chemical reactions and material transformations

Key Features of Sankey Charts

Dimensionality: Sankey charts can represent multiple dimensions, such as time, geographic regions, or hierarchical structures, providing deeper insights into the data.

Interactive Visualization: With the advent of modern data visualization tools, sankey charts have become more interactive, allowing users to explore different dimensions and filter data dynamically.

Ease of Interpretation: The visual nature of sankey charts makes it easier to comprehend complex data relationships and patterns at a glance.

How to Create a Sankey Chart

Creating a sankey chart involves several key steps:

1. Data Preparation:

   • Source Node: Identify the origin or starting point of the flow.
   • Target Node: Determine the destination or end point.
   • Flow Values: Measure the magnitude of the flow between each source and target node.

2. Choosing a Tool:

   • Tableau: Offers a built-in designer for creating sankey diagrams with drag-and-drop functionality.
   • D3.js: A powerful JavaScript library for dynamic data-driven documents, allowing more customized designs.
   • Microsoft Power BI: Provides a visual experience for sankey charts alongside other BI tools.

3. Mapping the Chart:

   • Assign nodes based on your data categories and represent flows as connections between these nodes.
   • Adjust the width of the links based on the quantity of flow.

4. Customization and Presentation:

   • Enhance the chart’s visual appeal with colors, labels, and tooltips.
   • Opt for interactive elements to allow users to explore different data aspects.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts have a wide range of applications across various fields:

• Energy Systems: Visualize energy flows in power grids, identifying inefficiencies and potential areas for improvement.

• Financial Analysis: Track the flow of capital in financial systems, showing investments, loans, and transactions.

• Web Analytics: Measure traffic flow across websites, understanding user journeys and interaction patterns.

• Environmental Science: Analyze the movement of pollutants in different ecosystems or regions.

Conclusion

Sankey charts are an indispensable tool for businesses and organizations looking to visualize complex relationships and quantify flows between entities. Their ability to provide clear and intuitive insights into data patterns makes them a valuable asset in decision-making processes, especially in fields where understanding the flow of resources is critical. By leveraging the right tools and following best practices for chart creation, users can effectively harness the power of sankey charts to visualize flows with unprecedented clarity.

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.