The DHARMA Initiative built a series of stations on the Island and at least one off island in Los Angeles. The different stations have different purposes. Some stations are for research into various scientific subjects but other stations provide communications infrastructure. According to the Sri Lanka Video, they were created to help scientists "save the world as we know it" via research in various fields such as zoology and psychology. All of the stations seen so far have power and running water. Each facility has its own, octagon-shaped logo.
After the Purge, the Others began using the stations for their own purposes.
Though the stations have been abandoned for a number of years, all of them still have power and light. Some have been shown to still have running water and resupply airdrops were still occurring at the Swan in 2004.
Further Information: The Staff is a DHARMA Initiative station. It appears to be a medical station. Claire was taken here after being abducted by Ethan. ("Maternity Leave") Presumably, the fully operational staff was preparing her for a forced birthing, to deliver Aaron into the clutches of the Others. After her escape (assisted by Alex), the station was abandoned. The station was later revisited by Claire, along with Kate and Rousseau. ("Maternity Leave")
According to the station's position in the blast door map, it appears to be located in the western portion of the Island. No Staff-specific Orientation Film has been found, and unlike the Swan and the Arrow stations, there is no "Quarantine" warning on any of the doors of the station.
Further Information: The Arrow station was once one of the DHARMA initiative research stations referred to in the Swan Orientation Film. In 2004, the station is largely empty except for several boxes, one containing a glass eye and copies of the Bible.
Its name and symbol were noted on the blast door map. As in the Swan station "QUARANTINE" is written on the inside of the door. The station still has power and light, operated by some kind of switchbox. No Arrow-specific Orientation Film has been found, but an aborted take was seen filming.
According to its orientation film, the Swan was originally a laboratory "where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the Island". However, after an "Incident", a protocol had to be followed in which two people would take shifts pressing a button (Inputting the Numbers) into a Computer) every 108 minutes for 540 days, at the end of which replacements will arrive to take the place of the previous inhabitants. It is located in the southern region of the Island, about a mile inland of the crash of Flight 815. There is a fail safe switch, whose function if activated still remains mysterious. The switch was activated and the station imploded following the discharge. The Swan had also work men. It has been Destroyed. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")
Further Information: The Flame is the name of a DHARMA initiative communications station. Its name and symbol were depicted on the blast door map, but the location is describe as "alleged".
The station itself exists in three parts. The outside is a paddock for cows, inside is a living area, some storage, and a computer room. Underneath a rug is a door to a lower hatch area. This hatch contains DHARMA paperwork and more storage.
The Flame was also rigged with a self-destruct feature consisting of C-4 explosive wired throughout the lower level. When Locke entered the code "77" into the Flame's computer, the self-destruct sequence was initiated and the Flame exploded soon after Kate and Locke left ("Enter 77")
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Further Information: The Pearl is a DHARMA Initiative station and was first discovered by Nikki and Paulo and later by Locke and Mr. Eko. The task of this station, according to its Orientation video, is to monitor the Swan station and, other stations via a Remote Viewing system. The orientation video also states that the inhabitants of the Swan station are unknowingly part of a psychological experiment and the Pearl's occupants are to record their every behavior. However it is presumed the work the Pearl staff was conducting was in fact the real psychological experiment, since the notebooks they were asked to fill ended up at a dump. ("?") DHARMA Initiative staff members delivered food and supplies to the Pearl from time to time. ("The Man Behind the Curtain").
There was also a hidden camera present in the Pearl, indicating they and not the Swan residents were the subject of the experiment. The station consists of a corridor with an octagonal tunnel leading down by ladder to the outside and one large, octagonal room, in which nine television sets are fed live surveillance pictures. There appears to be damage to this station: missing panels in the roof, loose wires, boulder in room. There are no living quarters for the Pearl's personnel, as they only served in eight-hour shifts. However, there is a still-working toilet in a room placed left in the station. ("The Cost of Living") This station is the place where we first saw Mikhail Bakunin.
Further Information: It has a greenhouse on the surface, which has a secret elevator that leads down to a short corridor with several doors along it. At the end of the corridor is a large room which houses the Vault (the time machine). Behind the wall of the vault is a dirt tunnel which leads to a frozen cave with a large wheel sticking out of part of the dirt wall.
Further Information: The Hydra is the name of a zoological DHARMA Initiative station. It includes both an underwater aquarium section, a number of animal cages above ground and multiple large above-ground buildings. In the past, it held animals such as sharks, dolphins, and polar bears for experimental purposes. The Others controlled the station and did unspecified work at the location. The station is on a small island off the coast of the the main Island.
Further Information: The Looking Glass is an underwater station with a moon pool and signal jamming equipment. It is connected to the mainland via a Cable. Ben Linus told The Others that the station was flooded but this is untrue. Two Others were stationed at the Looking Glass in secret by Ben as guards. At the end of Season 3, the Others had lost control of the station and it was partially flooded.
Further Information: Charlotte informs Juliet that she and Daniel went there to disable the station for fear that Ben may try to "use" it again. Charlotte may be alluding to the fact that Ben had used this station to initiate the Purge that killed all of the DHARMA Initiative members and that he'll do the same to everyone currently on the Island.("The Other Woman")
It is likely a meteorology station exists, considering the Initiative's interest in the subject. The blast door map theorizes a possible location.
According to the blast door map, a cryptography research/listening station may also exist.
Two stations, drawn with dotted lines on the blast door map, are labeled with "C3?" and "C4?".
There is a station on the blast door map that was crossed out. Elsewhere on the map, the text "Alleged location of aborted #7. Large number of underground springs, heavy water table" appears.
It is believed that a power station may exist somewhere on the Island which likely would house geothermal turbines to power all the other facilities.
"The Door" was presumed to be the entrance to another station, but when it was opened by Sayid, there was nothing behind it except for a wall of rock. It is unclear if the "the Door" was part of an elaborate hoax constructed by the Others or the remnants of another station.
