Probably the ultimate project of this type...

20 years ago (Nov 1986), the BBC completed the Domesday project to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the original Domesday book (comissioned by William the Conquerer who took over England after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 - basically a record of everything in Britain). This was to create a record of everything in modern Britain and make it available as an audio-video based reference

This used state-of-the art technology at the time (2 video discs - which clocked in at £4000 including a player!) and there is now work ongoing to reproduce this in a more accessible format.

http://www.atsf.co.uk/dottext/domesday.html