Group-Orthogonal Subsampling for Hierarchical Data Based on Linear Mixed Models

Hierarchical data analysis is crucial in various fields for making discoveries. The linear mixed model is often used for training hierarchical data, but its parameter estimation is computationally expensive, especially with big data. Subsampling techniques have been developed to address this challenge. However, most existing subsampling methods assume homogeneous data and do not consider the possible heterogeneity in hierarchical data. To address this limitation, we develop a new approach called group-orthogonal subsampling (GOSS) for selecting informative subsets of hierarchical data that may exhibit heterogeneity. GOSS selects subdata with balanced data size among groups and combinatorial orthogonality within each group, resulting in subdata that are D- and A-optimal for building linear mixed models. Estimators of parameters trained on GOSS subdata are consistent and asymptotically normal. GOSS is shown to be numerically appealing via simulations and a real data application. Theoretical proofs, R codes, and supplementary numerical results are accessible online as Supplementary Materials.