Interactive Features
Drag nodes to rearrange the layout. Hover over links to highlight flow paths and see exact values.
Data Input
Define nodes and flows to build your Sankey diagram.
Links (Flows)
Color Scheme
Conservation Principle
Link widths represent flow magnitude. The layout ensures flow conservation at each node.
Sankey Diagram
Visualization of flow relationships between nodes.
Flow Data
Tabular view of all node connections and flow values.
| Source | Target | Value | Percentage |
|---|
Historical Background
Sankey diagrams were invented by Irish engineer Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey in 1898.
Sankey created this visualization type to show the energy efficiency of a steam engine. The diagram made it immediately obvious where energy was being lost in the system, leading to the name 'Sankey diagram' for all similar flow visualizations.
The key principle is conservation: all flow entering a node must equal flow leaving it (except for source and sink nodes). Link widths are proportional to flow magnitude, making it easy to identify major pathways and inefficiencies.
Applications
Sankey diagrams are widely used across disciplines to visualize flow and transformation.
- Energy auditing: Track energy conversion and losses in power plants, buildings, and industrial processes
- Material flow analysis: Visualize resource extraction, processing, and waste streams
- Financial flows: Show budget allocation, revenue streams, and cost distribution
- Website analytics: Map user journeys through conversion funnels
- Supply chain: Track product flow from suppliers to customers
- Epidemiology: Model disease transmission pathways
Who Benefits
This tool serves diverse professionals working with flow data.
- Data analysts visualizing complex flows and identifying bottlenecks
- Economists tracking money flows and economic transactions
- Researchers studying migration patterns, network diffusion, or cascading effects
- Operations managers optimizing supply chains and resource allocation