A method for developing a prediction device for predicting a phenotype of a person from imaging data of the person is provided. The method includes determining imaging descriptors, the determining imaging descriptors including acquiring multidimensional images of people with an imaging apparatus and extracting multidimensional image elements from the acquired multidimensional images to serve as descriptors The method also includes classifying the predetermined descriptors on the basis of the capability thereof to predict the phenotype, selecting, from among the classified descriptors, a relevant number of the best-classified descriptors that is sufficient to predict the phenotype and constructing the prediction device from the selected descriptors.
