This guide helps you understand and use Kora effectively. It works whether you are brand new to the platform or an experienced user exploring advanced features.
You do not need to read it cover to cover. Instead, choose the path that matches your needs and learning style.
What This Guide Covers
This documentation is organised into seven parts. It moves from foundational concepts to specialised features and practical workflows:
Part 1: Understanding Kora (Chapters 1-5) Core concepts and mental models before diving into features. You are reading this section now.
Part 2: Getting Started (Chapters 6-7) Practical onboarding steps and essential daily workflows to get you productive quickly.
Part 3: Core Features (Chapters 8-14) The features most users need regularly: animal management, maps, health tracking, biosecurity, traceability, tasks, and inventory.
Part 4: Specialised Features (Chapters 15-19) Context-specific capabilities like wildlife management, breeding programmes, beekeeping, sustainability tracking, and antimicrobial resistance monitoring.
Part 5: Specialised User Workflows (Chapters 20-24) Role-based guides showing how veterinarians, CAHWs, conservation organisations, regulatory authorities, and farmers use Kora in their daily work.
Part 6: Advanced Features (Chapters 25-27) Integration and data export, collaboration tools, and system administration.
Part 7: Practical Guides (Chapters 28-30) Scenario-based workflows, best practices, troubleshooting, and frequently asked questions.
Appendices Reference materials including a glossary, user type permissions matrix, country-specific compliance information, regulatory standards, and quick reference cards.
Different Ways to Use This Guide
The Complete Learning Path (New Users)
If you are completely new to Kora and have time for thorough learning:
Start here Read Part 1 (Chapters 1-5) to understand core concepts, user types, the Knowledge API, and how Kora works on different devices.
Get hands-on Work through Part 2 (Chapters 6-7) step by step: create your account, set up your first location, add your first animal, and learn essential workflows.
Explore core features Read Part 3 (Chapters 8-14) to understand the features you will use daily.
Find your role Jump to the chapter in Part 5 that matches your role (veterinarian, farmer, conservationist, etc.) to see role-specific workflows.
Add specialised features As your needs grow, explore Part 4 for specialised capabilities relevant to your work.
Reference as needed Use Part 7 and the Appendices when you need specific workflows, troubleshooting help, or quick reference information.
Time investment: 3-5 hours for thorough initial learning, then reference specific chapters as needed.
The Quick Start Path (Experienced Software Users)
If you are comfortable with software and want to get started immediately:
Skim Part 1 (15 minutes) Get the mental model, understand your user type, and know what makes Kora different.
Focus on Chapter 6 (30 minutes) Create your account, set up your first location, add your first animal, learn basic navigation.
Jump to your role Read the chapter in Part 5 that matches your user type to see how someone like you uses Kora.
Reference core features Use Part 3 as a reference when you encounter specific features.
Use search and index Find specific information when you need it using the table of contents and appendices.
Time investment: 1-2 hours to get productive, then reference specific topics as needed.
The Role-Based Path (Context-Specific Users)
If you need to understand Kora for a specific role or context:
Read Chapters 1-3 (30 minutes) Understand what Kora is, why it is flexible, and what user type matches your role.
Read your role chapter in Part 5:
- Veterinarians: Chapter 20
- CAHWs: Chapter 21
- Conservation/NGO: Chapter 22
- Regulatory Authority: Chapter 23
- Farmers/Livestock Owners: Chapter 24
Explore relevant specialised features Based on your role chapter, dive into Part 4 features you will use:
- Conservation: Wildlife Management (Ch 15), Breeding Programmes (Ch 16)
- Farmers: Inventory Management (Ch 14), Sustainability (Ch 18)
- Veterinarians: AMR Tracking (Ch 19), Health Management (Ch 10)
Reference workflows Use Chapter 28 for scenario-based workflows relevant to your daily work.
Time investment: 1-2 hours for role-specific understanding, then explore features as your work requires.
The Problem-Solving Path (Finding Specific Information)
If you need to solve a specific problem or learn a specific feature:
Check the Table of Contents (Chapter 0) Find the chapter that covers your topic.
Use the Index/Appendices Look up specific terms, features, or workflows in the appendices.
Review related workflows Chapter 28 provides complete workflows for common scenarios like disease response, regulatory compliance, or conservation operations.
Check Troubleshooting Chapter 30 covers common issues and frequently asked questions.
Use Quick Reference Cards Appendix E provides one-page guides for common tasks.
Time investment: 5-30 minutes to find and read specific information.
The Reference Path (Experienced Users)
If you already use Kora and need to explore new features or refresh your knowledge:
Jump directly to feature chapters Part 3 and Part 4 cover all features in detail.
Explore advanced capabilities Part 6 covers analytics, reporting, and system administration.
Review best practices Chapter 29 provides recommendations for data quality, biosecurity, traceability, and collaboration.
Check what is new As Kora evolves, new sections will be added to document new features.
Time investment: As needed for specific topics.
Understanding the Structure
Concepts Before Features (Why Part 1 Comes First)
We deliberately start with concepts rather than jumping straight to features. Understanding how to think about Kora (locations, animals, observations, traceability, biosecurity) makes learning individual features much easier.
Think of it like learning to drive. Understanding what a car does and how it works (concepts) makes learning the individual controls (features) much more intuitive.
Recommendation: Even if you are tempted to skip ahead, spend 20-30 minutes on Chapters 2-3. The mental models you build will make everything else clearer.
Core vs. Specialised Features
Core features (Part 3) are what most users need regardless of context: animal records, health tracking, locations, biosecurity basics, tasks.
Specialised features (Part 4) are powerful capabilities you will use if your work requires them: wildlife management, breeding programmes with genetic analysis, beekeeping, advanced sustainability tracking.
You do not need to learn specialised features until you need them. When your work expands (for example, when you start a conservation breeding programme or implement comprehensive sustainability tracking), those chapters are ready.
Workflows Show Features in Context
Individual feature chapters explain what features do and how they work. Workflow chapters (Part 7) show when and why you use features together in realistic scenarios.
Example Chapter 11 explains quarantine management features. Chapter 28.2 shows the complete biosecurity event response workflow: from observing symptoms, to veterinary diagnosis, to automatic contact tracing, to quarantine implementation, to health monitoring, to release. This uses features from animal management, observations, biosecurity, and tasks together.
User Types Matter
Your user type (Chapter 3) determines what features you see and what actions you can perform. Some documentation will be more relevant to your role than others:
- Farmers will focus on animal management, health tracking, and traceability
- Veterinarians will focus on clinical observations, treatments, AMR tracking, and cross-property access
- Conservation organisations will focus on wildlife management, breeding programmes, and habitat monitoring
- Regulatory authorities will focus on compliance, traceability search, and cross-organisation oversight
The role-based chapters in Part 5 show exactly what matters for your user type.
What to Expect From Each Part
Part 1: Understanding Kora (Where You Are Now)
What you will learn The big picture: what Kora is, who uses it, core concepts like the dual-tier animal system, traceability, biosecurity thinking, and how it works on different devices.
Why it matters These concepts underpin everything else. Understanding them makes all features easier to learn.
Time to read 1-2 hours for thorough understanding, or 20-30 minutes for essential concepts.
Part 2: Getting Started
What you will learn Practical, hands-on steps to create your account, set up your first location, add your first animal, and perform essential daily tasks.
Why it matters Gets you productive quickly with immediate value.
Time to read 30-60 minutes while following along in Kora.
Part 3: Core Features
What you will learn Detailed explanations of features most users need: animal management (individual and mobs), maps, health tracking, biosecurity, traceability, tasks, and inventory.
Why it matters These are the tools you will use regularly regardless of your specific context.
Time to read Reference as needed; 3-5 hours to read thoroughly.
Part 4: Specialised Features
What you will learn Context-specific capabilities like wildlife management, breeding programmes with genetic analysis, beekeeping, sustainability tracking, and AMR monitoring.
Why it matters When your work requires these capabilities, you will have comprehensive guidance.
Time to read Reference specific chapters as your work requires them; 15-45 minutes per chapter.
Part 5: Specialised User Workflows
What you will learn How someone in your specific role uses Kora: complete workflows, common patterns, role-specific features.
Why it matters Shows you exactly how Kora fits your daily work, written for your context.
Time to read 20-40 minutes for your role chapter.
Part 6: Advanced Features
What you will learn Integration and interoperability (working alongside existing systems), data export capabilities, collaboration tools, and system administration (for SuperUsers).
Why it matters As you become more proficient, these tools help you integrate Kora with existing systems, extract data, and coordinate with teams.
Time to read Reference as needed; 30-60 minutes per chapter.
Part 7: Practical Guides
What you will learn Complete scenario-based workflows (daily routines, disease response, compliance, conservation operations), best practices, troubleshooting, and FAQs.
Why it matters Shows features working together in realistic scenarios; solves specific problems.
Time to read Reference as needed; 10-30 minutes per workflow.
Appendices
What you will find Glossary of terms, user type permission matrix, country-specific compliance requirements, regulatory standards reference, and quick reference cards for common tasks.
Why it matters Fast access to reference information without searching through chapters.
Time to read 2-5 minutes per lookup.
Tips for Getting the Most Value
Do Not Try to Learn Everything at Once
Kora is comprehensive. You do not need to master every feature immediately. Learn what you need now, and explore additional capabilities as your work requires them.
Good approach Master core animal management, observations, and tasks first. Add biosecurity when you need quarantine management. Explore sustainability tracking when you are ready to monitor environmental impact.
Avoid Trying to learn every specialised feature before you have mastered the basics.
Follow Along in Kora
Reading about features is helpful. Actually using them while reading is far more effective. When working through Getting Started (Part 2) or specific feature chapters, have Kora open and follow along with real data.
Tip: Use test animals or practice locations while learning to avoid mistakes with important data.
Use Real Scenarios
The most effective learning happens when you solve real problems. When you need to quarantine an animal, export documentation for a sale, or coordinate a breeding programme, consult the relevant chapters and apply what you learn to your actual situation.
Bookmark Frequently Used Sections
Certain workflows you will reference repeatedly (perhaps generating health certificates, creating recurring tasks, or initiating quarantine). Bookmark these sections for quick access.
Share With Your Team
If multiple people use Kora at your organisation, share relevant sections:
- Farm managers might focus on Part 3 (Core Features)
- Veterinarians should read Chapter 20 (For Veterinarians)
- New staff should start with Part 2 (Getting Started)
Common understanding of how Kora works improves collaboration.
Check Back for New Features
As Kora evolves, new features are added and existing capabilities are enhanced. Documentation is updated to reflect these changes. Checking back periodically helps you discover new capabilities.
Use Multiple Learning Formats
- Read conceptual chapters to understand the "why"
- Follow workflow guides to see features in action
- Use quick reference cards for step-by-step instructions
- Consult troubleshooting when you encounter problems
- Review best practices to improve your approach over time
Finding Help When You Need It
In This Guide
- Table of Contents (Chapter 0): Browse all chapters and sections
- Your Role Chapter (Part 5): Role-specific workflows and features
- Scenario Workflows (Chapter 28): Complete workflows for common situations
- Troubleshooting (Chapter 30): Common issues and solutions
- Glossary (Appendix A): Definitions of terms
- Quick Reference Cards (Appendix E): One-page guides for common tasks
Beyond This Guide
- Technical support: Contact information for support when documentation does not answer your question
- Community forums: Connect with other Kora users to share experiences and solutions
- Training resources: Additional training materials and workshops
- Updates and announcements: Learn about new features and enhancements
A Note on Language
This guide is written in clear, non-technical language. We avoid jargon where possible and define specialised terms when we introduce them. If you encounter confusing terminology, check the Glossary (Appendix A) or the chapter where the concept is first introduced.
The goal is to help you understand Kora and use it effectively, not to impress you with technical vocabulary.
What This Guide Does Not Cover
This is end-user documentation focused on using Kora effectively. It does not cover:
- Software development: How to modify, extend, or integrate Kora programmatically
- System administration: Server deployment, infrastructure, or IT management (except basic administration for SuperUsers in Chapter 27)
- Technical architecture: How Kora is built internally
- API integration: Connecting external systems to Kora
If you need technical documentation, consult the separate technical documentation resources provided to developers and system administrators.