Brothers Behind Dos Ojos Discuss AI Tool for Smarter Farm Irrigation
Edgar and Eduardo Bello Gonzalez won Zoho’s first “From the Ground Up” AI Hackathon with Dos Ojos, a crop monitoring system for farmers. The project uses Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, optional drones, and bilingual SMS messages to identify crop stress and recommend where irrigation may be needed. The brothers were inspired by water shortages they saw in Mexico and later in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley.
Edgar and Eduardo Bello Gonzalez are students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Edgar majors in computer science with an electrical engineering minor, while Eduardo majors in electrical engineering with a computer science minor. Edgar leads most technical work; Eduardo concentrates on planning, farmer outreach, and explaining the tool’s benefits.
Dos Ojos won Zoho’s first “From the Ground Up” AI Hackathon. It pairs free Sentinel-2 satellite imagery with optional drone monitoring, then sends bilingual text messages that identify crop stress and suggest where irrigation may be needed. The brothers were motivated by water shortages they saw in Mexico and later in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley.
Dos Ojos could make irrigation guidance more accessible to smaller farms that lack costly monitoring tools. By using satellite data and SMS, it may help growers in drought-prone areas decide where water is most needed, potentially reducing waste and crop losses. The benefits may extend to local food systems and rural communities if the prototype becomes practical and affordable, though adoption will depend on farmer trust, connectivity, and field conditions.