Sankey diagrams are a type of flow diagram in which the width of the arrows is proportional to the flow rate. The illustration shows a Sankey diagram that represents all the primary energy flows into a factory. The widths of the bands are linearly proportional to energy production, utilization and loss. The primary energy inputs enter the left side of the diagram, and are differentiated into gas, electricity and coal/oil. Sankey diagrams can also visualize the energy accounts, material flow accounts on a regional or national level, and cost breakdowns. Sankey diagrams emphasize the major transfers or flows within a system. They help locate the most important contributions to a flow. They often show conserved quantities within defined system boundaries.
History
Sankey diagrams are named after Irish Captain Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey, who used this type of diagram in 1898 in a classic figure showing the energy efficiency of a steam engine. The original charts in black and white displayed just one type of flow ; using colors for different types of flows lets the diagram express additional variables. Over time, it became a standard model used in science and engineering to represent heat balance, energy flows, material flows, and since the 1990s this visual model has been used in life-cycle assessment of products. 's invasion of Russia, using the feature now named after Sankey One of the most famous Sankey diagrams is Charles Minard's Map of Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812. It is a flow map, overlaying a Sankey diagram onto a geographical map. It was created in 1869, so it actually predates Sankey's 'first' Sankey diagram of 1898.
Science
Sankey diagrams are often used in fields of science, especially physics. They are used to represent energy inputs, useful output, and wasted output.
Active examples
The United States Energy Information Administration produces numerous Sankey diagrams annually in its Annual Energy Review which illustrate the production and consumption of various forms of energy. The US Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory maintains a site of Sankey diagrams, including US energy flow and carbon flow. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has developed an interactive Sankey web tool to visualise energy data by means of flow diagrams. The tool allows the building and customisation of diagrams by playing with different options. The International Energy Agency created an interactive Sankey web application that details the flow of energy for the entire planet. Users can select specific countries, points of time back to 1973, and modify the arrangement of various flows within the Sankey diagram. Ben Schmidt, an assistant professor of history at Northeastern University, created a Sankey diagram relating majors in college to eventual careers.
