  Over the last decade, Aperture Arrays (AA) have successfully replaced
parabolic dishes as the technology of choice at low radio frequencies - good
examples are the MWA, LWA and LOFAR. Aperture Array based telescopes present
several advantages, including sensitivity to the sky over a very wide
field-of-view. As digital and data processing systems continue to advance, an
all-sky capability is set to emerge, even at GHz frequencies. We argue that
assuming SETI events are both rare and transitory in nature, an instrument with
a large field-of-view, operating around the so-called water-hole (1-2 GHz),
might offer several advantages over contemporary searches. Sir Arthur C. Clarke
was the first to recognise the potential importance of an all-sky radio SETI
capability, as presented in his book, Imperial Earth. As part of the global SKA
(Square Kilometre Array) project, a Mid-Frequency Aperture Array (MFAA)
prototype known as MANTIS (Mid- Frequency Aperture Array Transient and
Intensity-Mapping System) is now being considered as a precursor for SKA-2.
MANTIS can be seen as a first step towards an all-sky radio SETI capability at
GHz frequencies. This development has the potential to transform the field of
SETI research, in addition to several other scientific programmes.
