The Ark applications are currently being refactored using Java as the application development language. The next version of The Ark software will be made available as open source software and will have improved navigation, greater consistency in the look and feel and will provide significant new functionality to allow studies to look after their own operations.

Upon release it will be possible to install separate local copies of The Ark software to support single studies or whole institutions. All design documentation and source code will be made freely available, should an organisation wish to extend or customise the code themselves.

Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software.

The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to vendor lock-in. A main principle and practice of open source software development is peer production by bartering and collaboration, with the end-product, source-material, "blueprints" and documentation available at no cost to the public.

The fear that open source software could lead to unauthorized access to data is legitimate in the context of biobanks where information confidentiality is critical. Writing code that is completely secure is a difficult job that requires expertise and time. This is true regardless of whether the software is open source or not.

Open source software becomes interesting when the time comes to assess the security of a software solution. In the case of a commercial solution, you only have the vendor’s word that the code (and your data) is secure. Vendors are usually reluctant to reveal how security is achieved. On the other hand, with open source software, the process by which security is achieved is visible to anyone who cares to look. Open source software permits independent assessment by qualified security experts.