Getting Access to Your Kora Instance

Kora operates on an instance-based model. You do not sign up directly. Your organisation's Kora instance administrator adds you.

To get access:

1. Contact your organisation's Kora instance administrator (typically IT staff, farm manager, zoo director, conservation programme coordinator, or designated Kora administrator)
2. Request a Kora account
3. Provide necessary information (name, email, role within organisation)
4. Administrator creates your account and provides login credentials

What you will receive:

• Kora instance URL (the web address for your organisation's Kora installation)
• Username or email address
• Temporary password (you will be prompted to change on first login)

Example:

• Organisation: "Savanna Wildlife Reserve"
• Instance URL: kora.savannareserve.org
• Username: jsmith@savannareserve.org
• Temporary password: Welcome2024! (change on first login)

First Login

Steps:

1. Open web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge all work with Kora)
2. Navigate to your organisation's Kora instance URL
3. Enter username and temporary password
4. You will be prompted to create a new password
5. Choose a secure password and confirm
6. Login with your new password

You are now logged into Kora.

Choosing Your User Type

During account creation or first login, you will select your user type. This determines which features you can access and how Kora presents information to you.

User Type Options:

Refer to Chapter 3.1 for detailed descriptions of each user type. Quick summary:

• Professional - Licensed professionals (veterinarians, animal scientists, conservationists)
• Paraprofessional - Veterinary technicians, zoo keepers, farm managers, wildlife technicians
• Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) - Community-based animal health providers
• Farmer - Livestock owners, farm operators
• Conservation & NGO - Conservation organisations, NGO staff
• Wildlife Management - Wildlife managers, park rangers, field biologists
• Regulatory Authority - Government inspectors, compliance officers
• Education - Teachers, students, trainers
• Public - Hobbyists, small-scale animal owners
• Other - Roles not covered by other categories

Who assigns user type:

• Your instance administrator assigns: SuperUser, Veterinarian (requires approval, see below)
• You select during account creation: All other user types

Why user type matters: Your user type determines:

• Which features appear in your navigation
• Default permission levels (can be adjusted by administrators)
• Dashboard layout and focus areas
• Available workflows and modules

Changing user type later: If your role changes, contact your instance administrator to update your user type. For example, you might be promoted from Paraprofessional to Professional. Or you might shift from Farmer to Conservation & NGO work.

Veterinarian Approval Process

If you are a licensed veterinarian, your account requires additional approval.

Step 1: Request Veterinarian Status

• During account creation, indicate you are a licensed veterinarian
• Provide veterinary licence number, licensing authority, and credentials

Step 2: Administrator Review

• Instance administrator reviews your veterinarian credentials
• May request additional documentation (veterinary degree, current licence, professional registration)
• Verifies you are a legitimate, licensed veterinary professional

Step 3: Approval

• Once verified, administrator approves your veterinarian status
• Your account gains veterinarian-specific features:
  • Cross-property animal access (access animals across multiple client properties)
  • Veterinary observation recording (diagnostic capabilities)
  • Professional documentation features
  • Logged access tracking (accountability for medical record access)

Step 4: Veterinarian Access

• You can now search for and access animals across properties where you provide veterinary services
• All access is logged for professional accountability
• Veterinary-specific workflows become available

While pending approval:

• Your account functions with standard Professional user type permissions
• You can access Kora but not veterinarian-specific features
• You can prepare by familiarising yourself with the interface

Why approval is required: Veterinarians have privileged access to animal medical records across multiple properties. Verification ensures only licensed professionals access confidential medical information. It maintains professional accountability standards.

Account Activation

No email verification required (currently):

• Your instance administrator activates your account directly
• No email confirmation link to click
• Account is ready for use as soon as administrator provisions access

Future enhancement: Email verification may be added in future Kora versions. Currently accounts are administrator-activated.

Initial Permissions

When your account is created, you receive default permissions based on your user type:

• ReadOnly: View-only access (rare, typically for observers or auditors)
• Basic: View and create basic records
• Standard: Most common permission level, suitable for daily operations
• Advanced: Extended features for experienced users or specialised roles
• Administrative: Full system access (SuperUsers, instance administrators)

Refer to Chapter 3.2 for detailed permission level descriptions.

Permission adjustments: If you need different permissions (more or less access), contact your instance administrator. Permissions can be adjusted based on your actual work requirements.

After Account Creation

Immediate next steps:

1. Explore the home dashboard
2. Familiarise yourself with navigation (covered in 6.4)
3. Set up locations if you manage properties (6.2)
4. Add your first animals (6.3)

Profile setup:

• Update your profile information (display name, contact details, time zone preferences)
• Set notification preferences
• Configure any user-specific settings available to your role

Multi-User Organisations

If you are part of a larger organisation with multiple Kora users:

Coordination with colleagues:

• Your instance administrator assigns roles and permissions
• You may work alongside other users (farm staff, veterinarians, conservation teams)
• Tasks can be assigned between users
• Observations and records are attributed to the user who created them

Organisational structure:

• SuperUsers and Administrators manage system configuration
• Regular users operate within their assigned permissions
• Veterinarians may access animals across multiple user properties
• Regulatory users may have read-only access across organisation

Troubleshooting Account Access

Cannot log in:

• Verify you are using the correct instance URL
• Check username/email and password are correct
• Ensure Caps Lock is off
• Contact instance administrator to reset password

Do not know instance URL:

• Ask your organisation's IT staff or Kora administrator
• Check any welcome email or documentation provided when you were granted access

Account not yet activated:

• If you have just requested access, allow time for administrator to provision account
• Follow up with administrator if you have not received credentials within expected timeframe

Forgot password:

• Use "Forgot Password" link on login page (if enabled)
• Or contact instance administrator for password reset