Data Governance & Sharing
Ownership, classification and access, sharing protocol, agreements, privacy and archiving.
Data Classification and Access Levels
Every dataset is given one of three access levels when it is approved. KFS, as platform custodian, approves user registration, assigns and reviews access, revokes it where needed and keeps audit records of access.
Who: Everyone, without registration
What: Open datasets approved for unrestricted public access.
Who: Signed-in users from government institutions and approved partners
What: Datasets shared among authorised institutions.
Who: Named roles only, after prior authorisation by KFS (oversight by the REDD+ Coordination Unit)
What: Sensitive data whose disclosure could compromise national security, privacy, environmental protection, commercial or other protected interests.
The portal already applies these three levels: everyone can see what data exists (metadata), but the data itself is given only to users with the right level, managed through Keycloak user roles. Browse the datasets.
| User level | Who | Can |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Public user | Anyone | View maps; search datasets; download approved datasets; view dashboards; read publications |
| 2. Data provider | Institutions such as KEFRI, DRSRS, RCMRD, KMD, KWS, WRA and KALRO | Upload datasets; enter metadata; update their own datasets; submit datasets for review |
| 3. Technical reviewer / NTC | National Technical Committee members | Review submitted data; check metadata, spatial quality and completeness; approve or reject submissions |
| 4. KFS NFMS super user | Kenya Forest Service (FIP administrators) | Publish approved datasets; manage users, categories and permissions; maintain the catalogue |
Each dataset also has an access level (public, restricted or internal), so that sensitive data, such as precise locations of protected species or ongoing investigations, are shown only to authorised users.
The NFMS has four user levels. Anyone can sign up as a public user; data provider, reviewer and super user roles are assigned by the KFS NFMS super user.
- Users & privileges (NFMS super users only)
Create accounts, assign user levels and roles, limit users to counties, disable accounts and set temporary passwords.
Source: Draft NFMS/FIP Data Sharing Protocol, version 1.0, Kenya Forest Service and State Department for Forestry (July 2026).