Maybe you're thinking RADB, which is based on the distributed Internet Routing
Registry, defined by the RIPE folks. Yes, if people define their routes,
ASs, and routing preferences in the RADB (or a personal database which they
create for their own ISP and make public), then other ISPs can use that
information to generate prefix-based configs.
The RADB is the database used in the US by providers who do not wish
to maintain their own database. CAnet, MCI, and ANS have their own
databases. The RIPE database is in use overseas.
The PRDB is a years defunct database used by the NSFnet project to
configure their routers.
Selina
P.S. Here's the blurb returned by 'whois -h whois.ra.net' when bogus
info is requested:
For an overview of the RADB and more information about
creating and submitting Route objects, see:
http://www.ra.net/RADB.tools.docs/.docs.html
ftp://ftp.ra.net/routing.arbiter/radb/OVERVIEW
ftp://ftp.ra.net/routing.arbiter/radb/doc/how_to_register
ftp://ftp.ra.net/routing.arbiter/radb/doc/updating_maintainers
You can obtain the full database files via
anonymous ftp: ftp.ra.net:/routing.arbiter/radb/dbase
URL: ftp://ftp.ra.net/routing.arbiter/radb/dbase/radb.db.gz