Amy Clark

 Benchmark Comparisons

Benchmark:

A benchmark is a standard or point of reference against which things may be compared to, also to evaluate or check something by comparison with a standard,basicaly reference points used for comparison

My search on benchmark comparisons was very long and frustrating, but I did get some pics and websites to share.

This chart is the breakdown trends in the value of loans extended from large and small banks in the US.

There was a collapse in the 2nd quarter of the Silicon Valley, the cause of shrinking loan supply, commercial and industrial loans decreased, this took place in April, but in May they had a come up after the Federal Reserve extended some additional support

I chose this bench because not only was it eye-catching , but this is great news to know about what was happening in our banking systems.

This image is of about the drought in that threatened to rice production in 2023.This year, drought has compounded difficulties with a winter wheat crop that was already damaged by extreme cold. (Farmers in Kansas normally plant a wheat crop in the autumn that grows during the winter and early spring, with the grain harvested.

Our chart tracks the percentage of fields with conditions described as “poor” or “very poor.” The line is well above the last decade’s 25-75 percentile range, let alone the average.

"Kansas is the number place for wheat production in the US," says the USDA, because of the very cold conditions, the crops that were planted in the autumn and grows in the winter and early spring with grains in the summer are damaged, they are going to have to abandon those crops. 

I chose this, because I wanted to know what really happened with this issue about the agriculture and I find the information to be very knowledgeable.

I found both Benchmarks (10) Charts of the Week: Bank stress, US drought and China’s shoppers | LinkedIn.

Infographics in field of study

 How can infographics Enhance communication and learning in your field of study?

Examples of insightful infographics.

This is an example of what Social Workers do, social work is a profession dedicated to improving the overall well-being to families, communities, and individuals. The issues that social work addresses is that of helping individuals' healthcare, child welfare, mental health, poverty, etc. Social Work is about advocacy. support and empowerment, it is important to understand the vital role social workers play in trying to help others live a better life in their communities.

Infographics is the connection between logic and emotion, it helps the audience see the story or message being conveyed with an image. The image that is shown below is from Venngage . It Is a helpful website that can help you choose or create templates for any visualization date base project

https://speakawesomely.com/infographics-in-communication/

https://infograph.venngage.com/templates/search/socialwork

This image is from good therapy.org 

I chose to post this,because it gives a little more insight on the field of social work is not limited. a social worker can work in many different settings

https://www.goodthherapy.org

Blog Post 6 Sankey

 US Energy Flow Super Sankey

In 2017, Otherlab was hired by the Advanced Research Project Agency of the Department of Energy (ARPA-e) to "review all available energy data sources and create an ultra high resolution picture of the U.S. energy economy." Upon their findings they created this massive diagram. It shows all the energy flow in the United States economy from the primary energy sources. The width of each "flow" show the size or amount of energy use or loss. This shows the reader where the biggest gaps are in energy. It is important because the U.S. energy field is huge and complex. As they stated, energy use on a national scale is measured in quads, so 1 quad is equal to 1% of the country's total annual energy use.

This research diagram makes the energy world a bit more tangible to understand. Although complex, when you see the diagram is starts to make more sense. Instead of saying "we need to use less energy" we actually need to use energy more efficiently and effectively.

Lord, P. (2025, March 10). US Energy Flow Super sankey. Otherlab. https://www.otherlab.com/blog-posts/us-energy-flow-super-sankey 

Sankey Diagrams - Davinia Brito

Sankey Diagram - Davinia Brito 

Advanced Research Projects Agency reviewed all available US energy data sources and produced a "Super Sankey" diagram of the American energy economy. This idea was used to collect energy as it flows from primary energy sources such as coal, gas, oil, hydropower, solar, geothermal, and nuclear. These will all transform into intermediate forms such as gasoline, diesel, or electricity and then into sectors of the economy. 

The diagram shows how the width of each flow in the diagram corresponds to the size of the energy quantity. This helps identify key major losses, for instance, in generation or transmission, and also where interventions might have the largest impact.

Sankey Diagrams- Christopher Eng

Visualizing the US Energy System 

    The US Energy Flow Super Sankey from Otherlab presents an extensive attempt to display all US energy movements, starting from natural resources and ending at their ultimate uses. The ARPA-E-funded project combines data from multiple sources, including the US Energy Information Administration and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to generate a highly detailed visualization of energy movement across the economy. 

    The image illustrates that electricity production and transportation systems account for the majority of the energy supply, while significant amounts of energy are lost as waste. The Sankey design effectively demonstrates impact through width because it directs users toward essential areas for change. The diagram illustrates the areas that require the most attention for policy and technological advancements.

    The page contains an explanation section that describes the purpose of developing this tool for researchers and policymakers to analyze energy system structures and evaluate new technology and policy scenarios. The project establishes its connection to previous national energy flow diagrams, which began in the 1970s, as these diagrams served decision-makers who required a rapid understanding of energy challenges within an hour. 

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The Otherlab Super Sankey demonstrates how this chart type enables the visualization of complex U.S. energy systems, yet its detailed information requires scale and interactive elements, as well as additional visual aids, for proper understanding.

SANKEY Diagram

The data visualization in the Sankey Diagram 
 are very mis constructed there's a lot of reading that cannot be seen. There's also color of choice on the print to be faintly on the light side making it hard to read. There is much labeled data that is being displayed, and it is not making a reference to what is being portrayed. 

I showed a data visualization that is more readable and organized that looks better to insert data. I think having made adjustment for this website it would look more appealing and to the point. 

I think the project they are working on are really resourceful and having display to be more organized would really help on the visualization. 

Visualizing Energy Flow Data

Taking a look at the Diagram for this week assignments, there is a lot to process here. In my opinion some of it works, and some of it does not work. So let me break that down a bit further.

This diagram looks like it shows proportional flows through a system, where the width of each flow band represents the amount of energy being transferred. This way, at least to me works, because it makes it immediately clear where the largest energy flows are and helps identify the most impactful areas for potential improvements in decarbonization efforts.

While that is very impressive in its level of detail, I did find that it has some serious practical limitations. The diagram is so complex and dense with information that it requires a wall-sized display to properly understand, which somewhat defeats the original goal of helping busy policymakers quickly grasp the energy problem.

I think the data could potentially be better through similar types of visualization approaches rather than relying solely on one massive diagram. A stacked area chart could show changes in energy use over time, while a some form of a treemap could probably handle the complexity of the information without all of the clutter that makes this diagram so difficult understand.

Overall, the diagram is impressive in as a data visualization and represents countless hours of meticulous research, but I don't think it's the most practical tool in the grand scope of things. Trying to show absolutely everything at once can mean that nothing stands out clearly enough to drive the point across.

Source:
U.S. Energy Flow Super Sankey - Otherlab