Contribution-Based Resource Allocation for Effective Federated Learning in UAV-Assisted Edge Networks

This paper considers UAVs as edge computing nodes and investigates a novel network resource allocation method for federated learning within a three-layer wireless network architecture containing cloud, edges (UAVs), and clients. To address the issue of fair bandwidth resource allocation among clients participating in federated learning, a contribution calculation strategy based on the Shapley value (SV) used as the weight for model aggregation is proposed. On this basis, a client selection and wireless resource allocation method based on model contribution is further designed. By reducing the training and aggregation frequency of the low-contribution clients during the asynchronous aggregation phase, the limited bandwidth resources are allocated to high-contribution clients, thus improving the convergence speed and accuracy of the global model. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly reduce the system delay and total energy consumption with gains between 15% and 50% while also improving the final accuracy of the global model by 0.3% and 2% on both short-term and long-term perspectives, respectively.