Federated learning (FL) has recently emerged as an innovative paradigm to train models among distributed agents. Conventional FL considers the center as an aggregator and trains from distributed data, while the collected global information at the center is not effectively utilized. Thus, the restricted information from local observations may limit the model accuracy. If FL can introduce data sets from the network server, the distributed models may be largely improved by the extra global information. Since network agents may not be completely trusted, the center cannot directly broadcast its raw data for security concern. Then, how to combine the central sets with FL? In this article, we propose to add a learning model at the center, which obtains the central sets as input. The outputs can be transmitted to network agents and integrated into local models instead of the raw data. The central and local models could be trained to form an integration for intelligent inference. Then, what is the integrated performance gain comparing with the original horizontal FL (HFL) and how to implement it? To figure out these two problems, we propose the vertical-HFL (VHFL) scheme, where models of the center and agents are trained collaboratively. We further analyze its convergence and the related communication channel, proposing the theoretical bounds to guide the network implementation of VHFL. Some simulation results will demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed VHFL scheme. It is expected that VHFL will be an important block for the next generation of smart services.

Federated learning (FL) has recently emerged as a transformative paradigm that jointly train a model with distributed devices while avoiding the need for central data collection. Due to the limited observation range, the devices only contain local information, which limits the quality of trained models. In this case, combining the global information into FL may be helpful. However, in horizontal FL, the central agency only acts as a model aggregator without utilizing its global observation. Meanwhile, the global data may not be directly transmitted to agents for data security. Then how to utilize the global observation residing in the central agency while protecting its safety thus rises up as an important problem in FL. In this paper, we develop a vertical-horizontal federated learning (VHFL) scheme, where the global feature is shared with the agents in a procedure similar to that of vertical FL. It is shown by experiments that the proposed VHFL could enhance the accuracy compared with horizontal FL while protecting the central data from being announced.

As an emerging technique, mobile-edge computing (MEC) introduces a new scheme for various distributed communication-computing systems, such as industrial Internet of Things (IoT), vehicular communication, smart city, etc. In this work, we mainly focus on the timeliness of the MEC systems where the freshness of the data and computation tasks is significant. First, we formulate a kind of age-sensitive MEC models and define the average Age-of-Information (AoI) minimization problems of interests. Then, a novel mixed-policy-based multimodal deep reinforcement learning (RL) framework, called heterogeneous multiagent actor–critic (H-MAAC), is proposed as a paradigm for joint collaboration in the investigated MEC systems, where edge devices and center controller learn the interactive strategies through their own observations. To improve the system performance, we develop the corresponding online algorithm by introducing the edge federated learning mode into the multiagent cooperation whose advantages on learning convergence can be guaranteed theoretically. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first joint MEC collaboration algorithm that combines the edge federated mode with the multiagent actor–critic RL. Furthermore, we evaluate the proposed approach and compare it with popular RL-based methods. As a result, the proposed algorithm not only outperforms the baselines on average system age, but also promotes the stability of training process. Besides, the simulation outcomes provide several insights for collaboration designs over MEC systems.

Recently, federated learning (FL) has been treated as an important and promising learning scheme in IoT, enabling devices to jointly learn a model without sharing their data sets. Different from centralized training on some collected data sets, FL training suffers a lot of constraints from limited resources in the network. Therein, the bandwidth and package loss restrict interactions in training. Meanwhile, the highly distributed data sets and limited computation could also affect its convergence. To figure out the specific impact, we analyze the convergence rate of FL training considering both communication and training. Further taking in training costs in terms of time and power, the closed-form optimal settings for communication networks are proposed with principles to assist the parameter selection. The results build a bridge between AI and communication, giving us an intuitive knowledge of how the background system could influence the distributed training process.

Federated learning (FL) has recently emerged as an important and promising learning scheme in IoT, enabling devices to jointly learn a model without sharing their raw data sets. As FL does not collect and store the data centrally, it requires frequent model exchange through the wireless network. However, since the aggregation in FL can be partially participated with synchronized frequency, its communication pattern is different from the conventional network. Therein, limited bandwidth and package loss restrict interactions in training. Thus, the network scheduling could largely affect the FL convergence. To figure out the specific effects, we analyze the convergence rate of FL regarding the joint impact of communication and training. Combining it with the network model, we formulate the optimal scheduling problem for FL implementation. The theoretical results could guide the hyper-parameter design in the network and explain the principle of how the wireless communication could influence the FL training process.

Heavy data load and wide cover range have always been crucial problems for big data processing in Internet of Things (IoT). Recently, mobile-edge computing (MEC) and unmanned aerial vehicle base stations (UAV-BSs) have emerged as promising techniques in IoT. In this article, we propose a three-layer online data processing network based on the MEC technique. On the bottom layer, raw data are generated by distributed sensors with local information. Upon them, UAV-BSs are deployed as moving MEC servers, which collect data and conduct initial steps of data processing. On top of them, a center cloud receives processed results and conducts further evaluation. For online processing requirements, the edge nodes should stabilize delay to ensure data freshness. Furthermore, limited onboard energy poses constraints to edge processing capability. In this article, we propose an online edge processing scheduling algorithm based on Lyapunov optimization. In cases of low data rate, it tends to reduce edge processor frequency for saving energy. In the presence of a high data rate, it will smartly allocate bandwidth for edge data offloading. Meanwhile, hovering UAV-BSs bring a large and flexible service coverage, which results in a path planning issue. In this article, we also consider this problem and apply deep reinforcement learning to develop an online path planning algorithm. Taking observations of around environment as an input, a CNN network is trained to predict action rewards. By simulations, we validate its effectiveness in enhancing service coverage. The result will contribute to big data processing in future IoT.

Heavy data load and wide cover range have always been crucial problems for internet of things (IoT). However, in mobile-edge computing (MEC) network, edge data can be partly processed at the edge. In this paper, a MEC-based big data analysis network is discussed, where distributed raw data are collected and processed by edge servers. The edge servers are supposed to split out a large sum of redundant data and transmit extracted information to the center cloud for further analysis. However, for consideration of the limited edge computation capability, part of the raw data may be directly transmitted to the cloud. To manage limited resources in an online manner, we propose an algorithm based on Lyapunov optimization, which jointly optimizes the policy involving edge processor frequency, transmission power and bandwidth allocation. The algorithm aims at stabilizing data processing delay while saving energy without knowing probability distributions of data sources. The proposed network management algorithm may contribute to big data processing in future IoT.

This paper mainly focuses on the utilization frequency in receiving end of communication systems, which shows the inclination of the user about different symbols. When the using number is limited, a specific utility distribution is proposed on the best effort in term of fairness, which is also the closest one to occurring probability in the relative entropy. Similar to a switch, the parameter of this special utility distribution can be selected to make it satisfy the personalized user demands: negative parameter means the user focus on high-probability events and positive parameter means the user is interested in small-probability events. In fact, the utility distribution can be regraded as a measure of message importance in essence. It illustrates the meaning of message importance measure (MIM), and extend it to the general case by selecting the parameter. Based on it, we connect personalized user demands to the message importance. Numerical results show that this utility distribution characterizes the message importance like MIM and its parameter determines the concern of users like a switch.

This paper considers the placement of unmanned aerial vehicle base stations (UAV-BSs) with criterion of minimum UAV-recall-frequency (UAV-RF), indicating the energy efficiency of mobile UAVs networks. Several different power consumptions, including signal transmit power, on-board circuit power and the power for UAVs mobility, and the ground user density are taken into account. Instead of conventional empirical stochastic models, this paper utilizes a pattern formation system to track the instable and non-ergodic time-varying nature of user density. We show that for a single time-slot, the optimal placement is achieved when the transmit power of UAV-BSs equals their on-board circuit power. Then, for multiple time-slot duration, we prove that the optimal placement updating problem is an integer nonlinear programming coupled with an inherent integer linear programming. Since the original problem is NP-hard and cannot be solved with conventional recursive methods, we propose a sequential-Markov-greedy-decision strategy to achieve near minimal UAV-RF in polynomial time. Furthermore, we prove that the increment of UAV-RF caused by inaccurate predicted user density is proportional to the generalization error of learned patterns. Here, in regions with large area, high-rise buildings, or low user density, large sample sets are required for effective pattern formation.