Authors

Leo Gaggl

Leo Gaggl

I’ve always been driven to solve problems. Growing up on a family farm in Austria, that meant learning to weld at eight to fix broken equipment. When I encountered a problem, the goal was always to use the resources at hand to find a solution. That instinct to build and fix has been the thread through my entire life. My fascination with technology began early, with a programmable calculator bought from the proceeds of selling cherries on the roadside. After moving to Australia in the mid-90s, I channeled that passion into a career in tech, co-founding a company that pioneered database-driven websites and later designing educational technology systems. Seeking to bridge the gap between the digital and the physical, I transitioned from my work in educational technology. This new phase of my journey was dedicated to the ‘Sense’ aspect of my work, focusing on long-range sensing with LoRaWAN as the primary person behind OpenSensing and as the convener of The Things Network South Australia. I enjoyed the challenge of building complex systems, but over time, I felt a growing disconnect between my work and the values I learned on the farm—a connection to the land, a respect for natural cycles, and a sense of community.