Why User Types Matter

Kora recognises what you do with animals. This shapes how you use the system. A veterinarian providing clinical care across multiple farms has fundamentally different needs than a farmer managing their own livestock. A conservation NGO coordinating breeding programmes across institutions requires different capabilities than a regulatory authority conducting compliance inspections.

User types in Kora are not rigid boxes forcing you into predefined workflows. They recognise that different roles require different access patterns, different feature sets, and different ways of interacting with animal data.

What This Chapter Covers

Understanding user types and permissions helps you:

Know what you can do - Which features and capabilities are available based on your user type

Understand access boundaries - Why you might see some animals' records but not others, and how cross-organisational access works (especially for veterinarians)

Work effectively across contexts - How to navigate when you operate in multiple roles (farmer who also does wildlife conservation, veterinarian who also manages their own livestock)

Coordinate with others - How different team members with different user types work together within the same operation

Request appropriate access - What to ask your system administrator for when your needs change

User Types vs. Technical Roles

This chapter focuses on user types. These are the practical categorisation of who you are and what you do with animals. User types include:

• Professional (veterinarians, wildlife biologists, zoo veterinarians)
• Paraprofessional (veterinary technicians, farm managers, animal care specialists)
• Community Animal Health Worker (field-level animal care providers)
• Farmer (livestock owners, agricultural producers)
• Conservation & NGO (conservation organisations, wildlife sanctuaries, rescue centres)
• Wildlife Management (game reserves, national parks, wildlife departments)
• Regulatory Authority (government inspectors, compliance officers)
• Education (researchers, students, training institutions)
• Public (general users, hobbyists, small-scale keepers)
• Veterinarian (specialised user type with cross-property access)

These user types align with the contexts we explored in Chapter 1.2 "Who Uses Kora."

The system also uses technical roles (SuperUser, Veterinarian role, Regulator role) behind the scenes for system administration and security. Those are not the focus here. We are concerned with how you as an end-user experience Kora based on who you are and what you need to accomplish.

The Permission Philosophy

Kora's permission system follows three core principles:

1. Appropriate Access

You have access to what you need to do your work:

• Farmers manage animals on their own properties
• Veterinarians access medical records for animals they treat across multiple properties
• Regulators view anonymised data and compliance information across farms
• Conservation NGOs coordinate breeding programmes across participating institutions

2. Data Security

Animal data, especially medical records and ownership information, is protected:

• You see records you are authorised to access
• Veterinarian access to patient records is logged
• Regulatory access is read-only and anonymised where appropriate
• Cross-organisational data sharing requires explicit authorisation

3. Flexibility

Your access can adapt:

• System administrators can adjust permissions to match your specific role
• Feature access can be configured regionally (different countries have different regulatory requirements)
• Multi-context users can operate effectively across their various responsibilities

What System Administrators Control

While user types provide baseline capabilities, Kora system administrators (SuperUsers) can fine-tune permissions:

Feature Access - Enable or disable specific features (Biosecurity, Inventory, Studbook, AMR Tracking, Sustainability, etc.) for individual users or user types

Permission Levels - Adjust what users can do (read-only, basic operations, standard access, advanced capabilities, administrative control)

Regional Customisation - Apply country-specific regulatory requirements and feature sets

Cross-Property Access - Grant veterinarians and consultants access to specific client properties

If you find you need access to features you do not currently see, or your responsibilities have changed, discuss with your system administrator. Kora's permission system is designed to adapt to your real-world needs.

What You'll Learn

3.1 Overview of User Types explains each user type in detail. Who they are, what they typically do, and what access they have.

3.2 Permission Levels Explained describes the five permission levels and how they shape what you can accomplish.

3.3 Multi-Context Users addresses the reality that many users work across multiple contexts and user types.

Important Note: Context-Adaptive Interface

With one important exception (Veterinarians and SuperUsers), most Kora users see the same interface and feature set. The system adapts to your context (livestock vs. wildlife vs. conservation) rather than presenting completely different experiences for different user types.

This means:

• A farmer managing cattle sees the same core features as a conservation NGO managing endangered species
• The terminology adapts (paddocks vs. enclosures vs. territories)
• The data you see is filtered to what you are authorised to access
• The features available depend on your permission level and administrator configuration

Veterinarians have a specialised dashboard reflecting their unique cross-property workflow. SuperUsers have additional system administration features for managing users, permissions, and system configuration.

For everyone else, Kora's design means the system shapes itself to your context rather than forcing you into predefined pathways. Your user type primarily determines what you can access and modify, not how the interface looks or functions.