Water, Water Everywhere: Visualizing Our Global Hydration Journey with Sankey Charts
In the vast expanse of the internet, stories of water abound. From the intricate dance of the Colorado River to the plight of the Thames, water is a constant theme. Yet, within the story of water, there is a journey that is often overlooked – the journey of hydration. From the tap to the toilet, through the bodies of water, and back into the ecosystem, water moves in a complex web of human and natural interactions. Here, we delve into a powerful tool for understanding this complex journey – Sankey charts.
Understanding Sankey Charts
Sankey diagrams, named after Irish Captain Matthew P. Sankey in 1898, are a type of flow diagram that shows the quantities or proportions of material (physical matter or energy) that flow through a system, how much of it flows, and through which channels. These diagrams visually represent the flow of material based on arrow thicknesses proportional to the quantities of material within them. In the context of water and hydration, they can be incredibly useful in illustrating the pathways water takes as it moves through different processes.
Creating Sankey Charts on the Go with Excel
Excel, the ubiquitous spreadsheet software, does not have a built-in Sankey chart type. However, savvy spreadsheet users have devised a workaround to create Sankey diagrams within Excel. The process involves setting up a series of stacked columns and manually adjusting their positions and sizes to mimic the dynamic flow of materials or energy. This task is somewhat time-consuming and requires some familiarity with Excel’s charting capabilities and graphic editing tools. However, it’s an option for those with intermediate to advanced Excel skills.
Python and Plotly for Professional Sankey Diagrams
For those more inclined towards programming, Python, combined with the Plotly library, offers a powerful approach to creating high-quality Sankey diagrams. Plotly is an open-source graphing library for Python that helps developers quickly create interactive, publication-quality charts. The Python script allows for detailed customization of the Sankey diagrams, including the layout of the nodes, the colors of the flows, and how the data are depicted.
Applications of Sankey Diagrams
The applications of Sankey diagrams are broad, extending from environmental sciences to energy consumption, water use, and food flows. In the context of water, Sankey diagrams can be used to illustrate the flow of water through a household, the recycling process, or the complex pathways water takes before becoming drinkable. They are particularly useful in education, as they make complex, multi-step processes more accessible and intuitive.
The Hydration Journey
The journey of water from its source to the tap is a tale of hydrology and water treatment processes. Sankey diagrams can vividly depict this journey, clearly illustrating the filtration, purification, and disinfection steps water undergoes before flowing into our homes. This visualization not only educates the viewer on the journey of clean water but also highlights the efficiency and flow rates within the water distribution network.
Conclusion
In the story of water, the journey of water from source to sink is a complex dance of molecules and processes. Sankey diagrams offer a powerful tool in visualizing this journey, making complex data clear and accessible. Whether through the simplicity of Excel or the power of Python and Plotly, Sankey diagrams are an invaluable resource in understanding the intricate world of hydration. As we continue to navigate through our global hydration journey, let us look to these diagrams as guides in our understanding of this precious commodity.
SankeyMaster
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