This paper addresses the long-standing problem of inconsistently defined decentralization in computer systems by introducing a formal, graph-based ontology. This framework defines decentralization as a structural, relational, and subject-specific property, distinguishing it from distribution and enabling multi-dimensional evaluation with new metrics like Void Tolerance and Imperviousness.

The paper introduces an ontology‑driven dataspace to formalize test annotations for cyber‑physical energy systems, enabling reproducible and FAIR‑compliant experimentation across laboratories.