Here's an example of the term "meal" in SUMO (something-or-other Upper Merged Ontology)
http://sigma-01.cim3.net:8080/sigma/Browse.jsp?kb=SUMO&lang=EnglishLanguage&flang=SUO-KIF&term=Meal
and one for beer
http://sigma-01.cim3.net:8080/sigma/Browse.jsp?lang=EnglishLanguage&flang=SUO-KIF&kb=SUMO&term=Beer
(though, the beer one isn't as good an entry as the meal entry)
When I first read about your concept, I got the idea that an ontology was a human readable quantification of vague concepts. That would be VERY interesting. Now I think I understand that an ontology is a complicated word for what appears to be a database-type structure. "Reading" it would be an exercise in tedium.
Not in this case, though I suppose it could be. You can use an ontology for lots of different things, for instance trip advisor uses an ontology to relate concepts together and uses those concepts to determine what are the most relevant reviews for you - e.g. I care about beds at hotels having itchy sheets. That's a specific term for a less specific concept (comfort). That less specific concept can be mapped to a review that says "the beds at hotel Fubar aren't comfortable". Trip advisor takes that info and says that review is about topic = comfort, and I find reviews where topic = comfort to be the most useful reviews.
An ontology is a structured method of representing information, so in that sense it is like a database, and when well done it can be used to 'lookup' information. Unlike a database it can show a variety of different connections between nodes.
E.g
Cat, descendant = kitten, opposite = dog, type of = mammal
Now you can look up mammal and see it's a type of = animal, has characteristics of = warm blooded, hairy, etc
Examples of = cat, dog, monkey, human
So, know you know that cats and humans are warm blooded! Better yet, you're computer can know! So now, if you want to know "hey computer, are dogs warm-blooded" your computer can say "Yes, Dave, they are".
In beer-land that means you can do fun things like asking your computer
"I've got a beer that's pale with a bajillion IBUs, what class is that?" and the computer will say "sounds like an IPA, homeboy".
Or maybe you can say "I want an IPA, what are the characteristics?" and the computer will say "you need light malt flavor, medium to strong alcohol content, and a bajillion IBUs" to which you respond, "sweet, thanks computer. How do I get that bajillion IBUs?" and the computer says "3 pounds of hops". "Great," you say "what if I want those IBUs to come with the flavor of psychedelic cat pee?". The computer will then say "you'll need 3 lbs of Simcoe, Dave".
And there you go.
As for the quantification of psychological phenomena, that certainly *could* be part of this project, but I think what Blakelyc is going for is building the framework, to which you could then add:
Simcoe, type of = hops, bitterness = 3 IBU per oz, AAC = 5%, flavor of = psychedelic cat urine
But the quantification of perceptual phenomenon is a whole 'nother branch of science called Psychometrics or Psychophysics ....