VertiBench: Advancing Feature Distribution Diversity in Vertical Federated Learning Benchmarks

Core Concepts

Introducing VertiBench to address limitations in VFL benchmarks by focusing on feature importance and correlation for improved algorithm performance assessment.

Abstract

VertiBench addresses the lack of diverse real-world VFL datasets by introducing novel evaluation metrics and dataset splitting methods. It offers benefits like encompassing both uniform and real scopes, emulating real scenarios, and exploring uncharted territories. The paper highlights the importance of feature importance and correlation in VFL algorithm performance. Various algorithms are evaluated across different datasets with varying imbalance and correlation levels, showcasing significant performance variations. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive evaluations to understand algorithm robustness under diverse data partitions.

Stats

Published as a conference paper at ICLR 2024
Two key factors affecting VFL performance: feature importance and feature correlation.
VertiBench offers three primary benefits.
Comprehensive benchmarks of mainstream cutting-edge VFL algorithms.
The VertiBench source code is available on GitHub.
Pre-split dataset accessible in Anonymized, 2023.

Quotes

"VertiBench introduces novel evaluation metrics and dataset splitting methods."
"Various algorithms are evaluated across different datasets with varying imbalance and correlation levels."
"The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive evaluations to understand algorithm robustness."

Key Insights Distilled From

VertiBench

by Zhaomin Wu,J... at arxiv.org 03-14-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2307.02040.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can VertiBench's approach be applied to other areas beyond VFL?

VertiBench's approach of generating synthetic datasets based on key factors like feature importance and correlation can be extended to various other machine learning domains. For instance, in horizontal federated learning (HFL), where data is partitioned across different devices or clients horizontally, similar techniques could be employed to create diverse synthetic datasets for evaluating algorithms. Additionally, in traditional centralized machine learning settings, understanding the impact of feature importance and correlation on model performance can lead to the development of more robust evaluation benchmarks and methodologies.

What counterarguments exist against the use of synthetic datasets in evaluating VFL algorithms?

One common counterargument against using synthetic datasets in evaluating VFL algorithms is the potential lack of representativeness compared to real-world data. Synthetic datasets may not capture all the nuances and complexities present in actual distributed environments, leading to a discrepancy between algorithm performance on synthetic versus real data. Moreover, there could be concerns about generalizability; models trained on synthetic data might not perform as well when deployed in practical federated settings due to differences in distribution or characteristics.

How can the concept of feature importance and correlation be utilized in other machine learning domains?

The concepts of feature importance and correlation are fundamental aspects that can benefit various machine learning domains beyond VFL. In supervised learning tasks such as classification or regression, understanding which features contribute most significantly to predictions (feature importance) can help streamline model interpretation and optimization. Similarly, analyzing feature correlations can aid in identifying redundant or highly correlated features that may affect model performance negatively. These insights are valuable for improving model efficiency, reducing overfitting, enhancing interpretability, and guiding feature selection processes across different ML applications.