Strategic Client Selection to Address Non-IIDness in HAPS-enabled FL Networks

Abstract: The deployment of federated learning (FL) in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) that are supported by high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) offers numerous advantages. Due to its large footprint, it facilitates interaction with a large number of line-of-sight (LoS) ground clients, each possessing diverse datasets along with distinct communication and computational capabilities. The presence of many clients enhances the accuracy of the FL model and speeds up convergence. However, the variety of datasets among these clients poses a significant challenge, as it leads to pervasive non-independent and identically distributed (non-IID) data. The data non-IIDness results in markedly reduced training accuracy and slower convergence rates. To address this issue, we propose a novel weighted attribute-based client selection strategy that leverages multiple user-specific attributes, including historical traffic patterns, instantaneous channel conditions, computational capabilities, and previous-round learning performance. By combining these attributes into a composite score for each user at every FL round and selecting users with higher scores as FL clients, the framework ensures more uniform and representative data distributions, effectively mitigating the adverse effects of non-IID data. Simulation results corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed client selection strategy in enhancing FL model accuracy and convergence rate, as well as reducing training loss, by effectively addressing the critical challenge of data non-IIDness in large-scale FL system implementations.