1,234 research outputs found
Online Distributed Sensor Selection
A key problem in sensor networks is to decide which sensors to query when, in
order to obtain the most useful information (e.g., for performing accurate
prediction), subject to constraints (e.g., on power and bandwidth). In many
applications the utility function is not known a priori, must be learned from
data, and can even change over time. Furthermore for large sensor networks
solving a centralized optimization problem to select sensors is not feasible,
and thus we seek a fully distributed solution. In this paper, we present
Distributed Online Greedy (DOG), an efficient, distributed algorithm for
repeatedly selecting sensors online, only receiving feedback about the utility
of the selected sensors. We prove very strong theoretical no-regret guarantees
that apply whenever the (unknown) utility function satisfies a natural
diminishing returns property called submodularity. Our algorithm has extremely
low communication requirements, and scales well to large sensor deployments. We
extend DOG to allow observation-dependent sensor selection. We empirically
demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm on several real-world sensing
tasks
Informational Substitutes
We propose definitions of substitutes and complements for pieces of
information ("signals") in the context of a decision or optimization problem,
with game-theoretic and algorithmic applications. In a game-theoretic context,
substitutes capture diminishing marginal value of information to a rational
decision maker. We use the definitions to address the question of how and when
information is aggregated in prediction markets. Substitutes characterize
"best-possible" equilibria with immediate information aggregation, while
complements characterize "worst-possible", delayed aggregation. Game-theoretic
applications also include settings such as crowdsourcing contests and Q\&A
forums. In an algorithmic context, where substitutes capture diminishing
marginal improvement of information to an optimization problem, substitutes
imply efficient approximation algorithms for a very general class of (adaptive)
information acquisition problems.
In tandem with these broad applications, we examine the structure and design
of informational substitutes and complements. They have equivalent, intuitive
definitions from disparate perspectives: submodularity, geometry, and
information theory. We also consider the design of scoring rules or
optimization problems so as to encourage substitutability or complementarity,
with positive and negative results. Taken as a whole, the results give some
evidence that, in parallel with substitutable items, informational substitutes
play a natural conceptual and formal role in game theory and algorithms.Comment: Full version of FOCS 2016 paper. Single-column, 61 pages (48 main
text, 13 references and appendix
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