> I am currently planning to set up a PostgreSQL + PostGIS instance for my
> lab. Turns out I believe this would be useful for the whole center, so
> that I'm now considering setting up the server for everyone—if interest
> is shared of course. At the moment, I am however struggling with what
> would be required in terms of hardware
Just for perspective, here are the specs required to run a Nominatim
server, which uses PostGIS to do geocoding on OpenStreetMap data:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Nominatim/Installation
Of course maybe your users have more detailed data, but at least that
link will give you something to think about.
Good luck!
Paul