Improving Graph Machine Learning Performance Through Feature Augmentation Based on Network Control Theory

TL;DR

This paper introduces NCT-EFA, a novel feature augmentation method based on network control theory, to improve GNN performance especially when node features are missing, achieving up to 11% accuracy gains.

Contribution

The paper proposes a new NCT-based feature augmentation technique that enhances GNNs by integrating controllability and centrality metrics, addressing the lack of node features.

Findings

NCT-EFA improves GNN performance by up to 11%.

Incorporating controllability metrics enhances GNNs in feature-scarce scenarios.

The method is validated across six GNN models and two experimental settings.

Abstract

Network control theory (NCT) offers a robust analytical framework for understanding the influence of network topology on dynamic behaviors, enabling researchers to decipher how certain patterns of external control measures can steer system dynamics towards desired states. Distinguished from other structure-function methodologies, NCT's predictive capabilities can be coupled with deploying Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), which have demonstrated exceptional utility in various network-based learning tasks. However, the performance of GNNs heavily relies on the expressiveness of node features, and the lack of node features can greatly degrade their performance. Furthermore, many real-world systems may lack node-level information, posing a challenge for GNNs.To tackle this challenge, we introduce a novel approach, NCT-based Enhanced Feature Augmentation (NCT-EFA), that assimilates average controllability, along with other centrality indices, into the feature augmentation pipeline to enhance GNNs performance. Our evaluation of NCT-EFA, on six benchmark GNN models across two experimental setting. solely employing average controllability and in combination with additional centrality metrics. showcases an improved performance reaching as high as 11%. Our results demonstrate that incorporating NCT into feature enrichment can substantively extend the applicability and heighten the performance of GNNs in scenarios where node-level information is unavailable.