Which tool should Robert use to automate finding the number of points located in polygons?

The Spatial Join geoprocessing tool is the most suitable choice for automating the task of counting the number of points located within polygons. This tool allows users to combine attributes from two different layers based on their spatial relationship. In this case, Robert would set up a Spatial Join between the points layer and the polygons layer, specifying that he wants to count the points that fall within each polygon.

As a result, the output of the Spatial Join will produce a new layer that includes both the polygon attributes and a count of how many points are located within each polygon. This method is efficient for summarizing the relationship between the two datasets, addressing the need for automation in processing the spatial counting task smoothly.

The other choices do not directly fulfill the requirement of counting points within polygons. The Point Distance tool is designed for measuring the distance between points rather than counting them. Select by Attributes focuses on querying features based on their attributes, lacking the capability to automate spatial counting. The Intersect Points tool can identify overlapping features but does not provide a count of how many points exist within polygons, making it unsuitable for the specific task at hand.