Emerging explorer Ken Banks. Picture: Jon Guegan (00275022)

A JERSEYMAN has been named among 14 individuals from around the world as the National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers for 2010.

Ken Banks, who was born in Jersey but now lives in Cambridge, was selected by the National Geographic for the mobile phone software he invented.

The magazine’s Emerging Explorers programme honours outstanding contributions from virtually any field and each of the winners receives a $10,000 award to assist with their work.

Mr Banks invented software that he provides free to grassroots non-for-profit organisations.

FrontlineSMS is a text-messaging based communication system that now allows groups in over 50 countries to send and receive information in remote areas without internet access, using just a computer and mobile phones

Ken said: ‘I wrote the software in five weeks at a kitchen table. I made it a generic communications platform that could be used for almost anything, and I made it free.
‘Anyone can use this tool to solve a problem they see in the place where they live.

One man in the US created a help line allowing Oklahoma women to report domestic violence. Within three months, 4,000 text messages were received, some of which helped prosecute offenders.’

Terry Garcier, from National Geographic, added: ‘National Geographic’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet, and our emerging explorers are outstanding young leaders whose endeavours further this mission.