Scott Andrews, a dynamic figure bridging the public and private sectors in the UK’s LoRaWAN ecosystem, shares his unique insights into selling LoRaWAN solutions to both small private businesses and large public entities — from farmers monitoring vaccine fridges to councils implementing smart city projects. We dive into the challenges of change management, scaling deployments, and how small wins build toward big transformations.

Key Topics Covered:

Private vs. Public Sector Deployments:

Scott highlights the differences between selling into the private sector (like small farms and butcher shops) versus public sector institutions (like councils and schools). A key theme is managing the aversion to change and public scrutiny in government projects.

Scaling Small:

Many private sector deployments are tiny — sometimes just 3–5 sensors monitoring vaccine fridges, milk storage, or walk-in freezers. But the impact is massive, saving time, ensuring regulatory compliance, and providing defensible data.

Public Sector at Scale:

Scott shares how public health needs during COVID drove rapid, large-scale sensor rollouts—like deploying 200 CO₂ sensors across schools to measure fresh air intake.

The Thin End of the Wedge:

Success comes from small beginnings. Scott explains how a single gateway and a few sensors often lead to expanding sensor deployments once organizations see real-world benefits.

Making Data Understandable:

Many end users—whether farmers, butchers, or public servants—aren’t trained data analysts. Scott’s team at Sensibility uses AI tools like ChatGPT to create plain-English reports that make LoRaWAN data accessible and actionable.

Smart City Success:

Hear the story of how Scott helped the town of Abergavenny win an Innovation Award by deploying hidden soil moisture sensors in public planters to optimize watering—and how they overcame technical challenges like vandalism risk.

Long-Term Vision:

Scott discusses why patience, word of mouth, and helping customers solve real operational problems are critical in building a successful IoT business over time.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-andrews-64754534/

https://www.senseability.uk/

https://abergavennytowncouncil.gov.uk/4442/uncategorised/abergavenny-excels-at-britain-in-bloom-awards-2023/Links - MetSci Show

• Helium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!
• Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.
• Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!
• MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it.
• MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

https://www.helium.foundation/

To see if there's Helium coverage in an area, visit:

https://world.helium.com/en/iot/coverage