Sankey charts have been around for a long time, with their origins dating back to the 18th century. However, it wasn’t until recently that they started gaining popularity as a data visualization tool due to their unique ability to show complex flows visually. In this article, we will explore the power of Sankey charts, their creation, and their applications in various fields.
What are Sankey Charts?
Sankey charts are a type of flow diagram that displays data as a flow of interconnected nodes. They’re particularly useful for visualizing complex data flows, with the width of the arrows representing the magnitude of the flow. The name “Sankey” comes from the Scottish engineer Captain Matthew Henry Phineas Riall “Sankey” (1803-92), who popularized this type of diagram while working on steam engines. He was awarded the Royal Society’s Copley medal for this groundbreaking work.
Key Features of Sankey Charts
Sankey charts have several key features that make them an attractive option for data visualization. Firstly, they are an effective way to represent complex data flows in a clear and concise manner. This makes it easy to understand how different data points interact and relate to each other.
Secondly, Sankey charts allow users to compare different flows over time, making them particularly useful for studies involving temporal data. This can help identify trends, patterns, and changes within the data, which may not be immediately apparent from raw data or simple statistical analyses.
Thirdly, they can be used to represent both positive and negative flows, depending on the data being analyzed. This makes them an excellent choice for scenarios where the magnitude of the flow also carries meaning. For example, in economics, positive flows could represent income, while negative flows could indicate expenses.
Creatin g Sankey Charts
Creating Sankey charts can be a straightforward process using various tools and software. Some popular options include Microsoft Excel, Tableau, and R, a powerful data analysis and visualization language.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Sankey Chart in Excel:
- Prepare Your Data: Gather the data points that you want to represent in your Sankey chart. This could include source and destination nodes, data flows between them (represented as “links”), and the magnitude of those flows.
| Source | Destination | Flow |
|--------|-------------|------|
|A |B | 10 |
|C |B | 20 |
|A |C | 5 |
|B |D | 15 |
- Convert to Excel Table: Select your data, then go to Insert > Table. This will ensure that your data is laid out in the correct format for a Sankey chart.
- Insert a Sankey Chart: Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t have a dedicated Sankey chart option, but you can create one by using the Insert > Sparklines > Line option and manually duplicating the data to get the necessary visual effect.
- Format Your Chart: Adjust the chart’s settings to optimize visual clarity, such as adding labels, changing arrow colors, and adjusting arrow lengths.
While creating Sankey charts in Excel can be a bit cumbersome due to its limited charting capabilities, it’s still a doable task with some extra effort.
Applications of Sankey Charts
Sankey charts have a wide range of applications across different industries and fields. Here are a few examples:
Energy Industry
Sankey charts are commonly used in the energy industry to analyze and visualize energy flows, such as electricity production, transmission, and consumption. For instance, they can be employed to illustrate how renewable energy sources provide power to various consumers or the distribution of energy across different sectors (e.g., industrial, residential, and commercial) within a country.
Economics and Finance
In economics and finance, Sankey charts are useful for assessing trade flows between countries, industries, or sectors, helping to identify trends in economic relationships and dependencies. They can also be applied to visualize cost breakdowns, such as detailing expenses in a project or company budget.
Marketing and Advertising
Sankey charts can help demonstrate the flow of customer journeys through different marketing channels and the conversion rates between each stage of the process. This visualization aids in understanding which channels contribute most effectively to the customer conversion and retention.
Environmental Studies
Environmental studies often involve tracking flows of resources, materials, or energy within ecosystems, cities, or economies. Sankey charts can provide insights into resource depletion, waste generation, and the overall environmental impact of human activities.
Project Management
In project management, Sankey charts can be used to represent the interdependencies between various project tasks, their durations, and resources required. This visualization helps in identifying critical paths and potential bottlenecks in complex project timelines.
Conclusion
Sankey charts are a versatile tool for data visualization, capable of revealing complex relationships and flows that are difficult to discern through raw data alone. As a result, they are increasingly being adopted in numerous industries for a variety of applications, from understanding energy systems to strategizing marketing campaigns and managing project timelines. Utilizing the right tools and techniques, creating effective Sankey charts has become more accessible, making it a valuable asset in modern data analysis and presentation.
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