Sankey charts are a type of flow diagram that allows for the visualization of complex systems and their interactions. They are named after the man who created them, Scottish engineer and chemist, Matthew Henry Phineas Riall “Sankey” (1833-1915), who developed this method to visualize the movement of energy in steam engines. It was only later that his name was used to label this type of diagram.

Creating a Sankey chart typically begins with understanding the data. This can involve a series of inputs, processes, movements, outputs, or almost any type of system where flow or movement can be captured. This could be as varied as traffic flow in a city, energy consumption in an office, the movement of people through a website, or data flow between different departments in a company.

To create a Sankey chart, you’ll need to:

1. Identify and label your sources
   This involves identifying where the flow starts. For example, in a business context, this could be ‘Sales’, ‘Marketing’, or ‘Customer Service’.

2. Identify and label your destinations
   Where is the flow heading to? In this business context, it could be ‘Sales Team’, ‘Marketing Campaigns’, or ‘Customer Response’.

3. Determine the magnitude of the flow
   This represents the volume or quantity. It can be the physical quantity like traffic volume or more abstract like the number of page views or customer inquiries.

4. Plot the flow
   This involves visual placement to show how the magnitude of the flow influences the size of the lines in the chart. Bigger flows result in thicker lines, which makes the chart visually intuitive.

Applications of Sankey charts include:

1. Energy systems
   Visualizing energy consumption and flow through different systems shows where the greatest losses occur, and where energy is most efficiently used.

2. Transportation systems
   Mapping traffic flow in a city helps planners and transportation engineers identify traffic hotspots, congestion, and potential areas for improvement.

3. Website analytics
   Understanding where users come from, where they navigate to in your website, and how long they spend on each page allows you to optimize your site’s user experience.

4. Business processes
   Highlighting bottlenecks in the supply chain or identifying the most effective sales funnel stages increase operational efficiency and productiveness.

5. Socioeconomic flows
   In fields like economics, sociology, and ecology, Sankey diagrams display complex data in a visually accessible way, helping to articulate relationships between different data sets.

By leveraging the power of Sankey charts, businesses and organizations can develop a more detailed understanding of their operations, identify critical points, streamline workflows, optimize decision-making, and enhance overall efficiency.

Overall, Sankey charts are an invaluable tool in data visualization – bridging the gap between complex systems and their comprehensible visual representations. Through their ability to communicate complex data in intuitive and clear fashion, they contribute significantly to insightful decision-making across various domains.

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.